Jose Castillo #14

Jose Castillo (Rondon)...Wife's name is Dubraska Graciela...Has one son; Lewis (6/23/03)...Signed by Pirate scout Jose Luna...Rated as the Pirates best defensive infielder by Baseball America following the 2003 season...Was also ranked as their fourth-best prospect prior to the 2003 season and as their fifth-best prospect prior to the 2002 campaign by the same publication...Also ranked as the top Pittsburgh prospect by USA Today Sports Weekly prior to the 2003 campaign.

2006

Spent third straight full season in the majors and established career highs in every offensive category. ...His 14 home runs were the most by a Pittsburgh second baseman since Warren Morris hit 15 in 1999; only two other Bucco second sackers have hit more than 15 in a season (Bill Mazeroski - twice- and George Grantham)...Made career-high 141 starts at second base and committed 18 errors (16 fielding and two throwing)...Produced three, three-hit games in his first six contests...Went deep for first time and knocked in three runs on 4/8 at Cincinnati...Snapped an 0-for-11 streak with a pair of hits on 4/12 vs. Los Angeles...Went 6-for-17 while hitting safely in five of his six games from 4/12-17, raising batting average to .327....Hit .115 (6-for-52) from 4/19 thru 5/7...Went 20 consecutive games without an RBI from 4/14 thru 5/9 before driving in a pair of runs on 5/10 vs. Arizona...Batted .487 (19-for-39) while hitting safely in 10 consecutive games from 5/9-20, raising average from .218 to .293. ...Snapped 33-game homerless drought with his second long ball on 5/20 at Cleveland...Homered in five consecutive games from 5/26-31, which included first career multi-homer game on 5/30 vs. Milwaukee...Went 4-for-4 with a career-high six RBI in 5/30 contest (the last Bucco to have at least two homers, six RBI and four hits while batting 1.000 in a game was Willie Stargell, who went 5-for-5 with three homers and seven RBI at Chicago on 5/22/68)...Took home National League Player-of-the-Week honors for the week of 5/29 thru 6/4 after leading the league with 25 total bases and a 1.087 slugging percentage and 15 RBI...Knocked in three RBI on 6/1 for his 17th RBI in six games...Went deep in back-to-back games on 6/1-2 vs. St. Louis...Hit .345 (10-for-29) over a seven-game stretch from 6/27 thru 7/3...Snapped a streak of 180 at bats without a home run with his 12th long ball on 7/30 vs. San Francisco (a game-tying solo shot in the bottom of the 9th inning)...Commited two errors on 8/15 before going 28 consecutive games without a miscue...Singled off Atlanta's John Smoltz for first pinch hit (second of career) on 8/21 at Turner Field...Had second four-hit game on 8/30 vs. Chicago...Snapped an 0-for-23 streak with an infield single to second base on 9/23 at San Diego...Went 4-for-44 (.091) in his final 16 games, which included a 2-for-4 effort in the last game on 10/1 vs. Cincinnati...Hit 11 of his 14 home runs in his first 62 games thru 6/15; hit just three in his final 86 contests...Batted .308 while batting eighth in the lineup...Ranked second among N.L. second basemen with 344 putouts (Chase Utley led with 357) and fourth with 712 total chances behind Orlando Hudson (833), Chase Utley (799) and Dan Uggla (752)...Batted .308 (53-for-172) with 15 doubles, five home runs and 40 RBI in 46 games with Caracas during the Venezuelan Winter League.

2005

Made 99 starts at second base and committed 12 errors (six fielding/six throwing)...Made first career Opening Day start on 4/4 vs. Milwaukee...Suffered a left oblique strain in the 2nd inning of the second game on 4/6 reaching to foul off an outside pitch...Was placed on the disabled list on 4/7...Began a rehab assignment with Triple-A Indianapolis on 4/30 and homered in first game vs. Louisville...Went 5-for-14 with two home runs in four-game rehab stint before being recalled by Pittsburgh and reinstated from the disabled list on 5/5...Fell a double shy of hitting for the cycle in first game back from D.L. on 5/5 at Arizona...Took Arizona's Kerry Ligtenberg deep for first home run in 5/5 contest...Hit safely in season-high nine straight games from 5/7-17 (14-for-38, .368). ...Had two errors on 5/23 at St. Louis...Recorded five RBI while snapping an 0-for-18 streak on 6/11 vs. Tampa Bay...Hit .390 during 13-game stretch from 6/21 thru 7/4...Made 50 consecutive starts at second base from 5/5 thru 6/29...Hit game-winning home run in 10-inning victory at St. Louis on 6/26...Had career-high four hits on 8/9 at Colorado...Produced 15 RBI over a 15-game stretch from 8/5-21...Suffered a "grade 3" tear of the medial collateral ligament of his left knee while turning a double play on 8/22 vs. St. Louis and was lost for the season...Was placed on the 15-day disabled list on 8/23...Ranked third among National League second basemen in RBI and was second among N.L. second basemen in double plays (93) at the time of his injury...Hit nine of his 11 home runs on the road...Was transferred to 60-day disabled list on 8/27...Joins Bill Mazeroski, George Grantham, Warren Morris and Carlos Garcia as the only second basemen in club history to hit 10 or more home runs in one season.

2004

Made the jump from Double-A straight to the majors...Ranked ninth among N.L. rookies in runs, 10th in walks, eighth in hits and seventh in multi-hit games (27)...Made 105 starts at second base, the most by a Pittsburgh rookie since Warren Morris made 134 in 1999...His eight home runs were the second-most by a rookie second baseman in the majors (Arizona's Scott Hairston led with 13)...Made major league debut as a starter at second base on 4/7 vs. Philadelphia and singled off Randy Wolf in first plate appearance...Connected off Steve Trachsel for first career home run on 4/17 at Shea Stadium...Reached base safely in 23 of his first 29 starts...Collected first big-league triple on 5/9 vs. Los Angeles...Was hitting .298 following the action on 5/15...Had first career two-error game on 6/23 at Houston...Went 8-for-30 in first 10 games after the All-Star break before going hitless in next 20 at bats. ...Collected just two RBI during the month of July...Had second two-error game on 8/7 at San Diego...Made first career appearance at shortstop on 8/6 @San Diego...Made second and final appearance at shortstop on 8/12 vs. San Francisco...Hit .403 (25-for-62) with six doubles, a triple, three home runs and 12 RBI from 8/10-31, the third-best batting average in the National League in that time behind San Francisco's J.T. Snow (.463) and Barry Bonds (.442)...Hit .347 (25-for-72) during the month of August, but batted .221 (19-for-86) over his final 25 games from 9/1 thru the remainder of the season...Went deep in final two games on 10/2 and 10/3 in Cincinnati...Was involved in 81 of Pittsburgh's major-league leading 189 double plays...Hit .364 (78-for-214) with 10 home runs and 38 RBI in 54 games while playing third base with Caracas during the Venezuelan Winter League - also committed 11 errors.

2003

Spent entire season with Altoona (AA)...Was the starting shortstop for the World Team in Major League Baseball's Futures Game on 7/13 @Chicago (AL)...Was selected to the Eastern League's mid-season All-Star squad...Led Altoona in hits...Began season as the everyday shortstop, but moved to second base on a full-time basis in mid-May...Made a total of 74 appearances @second base and 52 @shortstop...Committed 10 of his 23 errors @second base and 13 of them while playing short...Made first appearance @second base on 5/15 - his first action there since 8/26/99 (had made 409 consecutive appearances @shortstop)...Had two triples in an 11-2 win @Reading on 4/5...Hit first Double-A home run on 4/16 @Harrisburg...Went 5-for-6 on 5/7 @Akron, becoming just the fourth player in Curve history to collect five hits in a game (also Adrian Brown, Humberto Cota and Tony Alvarez)...Reached base safely in 15 straight games from 4/20 thru 5/17 and in 23 of his 24 games from 4/30 thru 5/27...Batted .333 (37-for-111) during the month of May...Left game on 6/9 @New Britain with a sprained right ankle after sliding into second base...Was on the disabled list from 6/11 (retroactive to 6/10) to 6/17...Reached base safely in 22 consecutive games from 6/7 thru 7/7...Was the starting shortstop in the Eastern League All-Star Game @New Britain on 7/16 and went 1-for-4 with a run...Hit .359 (14-for-39) during a season-high 10-game hitting streak from 8/5-14...Finished month of August with a nine-game hit streak, going 13-for-33 (.394) with five RBI...Batted .304 and knocked in 17 runs in August...Hit .222 (4-for-18) in four Eastern League post-season games...Played winter ball in Venezuela and hit .255 (49-for-192) with five home runs and 28 RBI in 53 games with Caracas.

2002

Spent second straight season with Lynchburg (A)...Ranked third in the Carolina League in RBI, tied for fourth in homers and ninth in average...Led the Hillcats in stolen bases while ranking second on the club in home runs and RBI...Was rated by Baseball America as the No. 2 prospect in the Carolina League and was named to the High Class-A All-Star team following the season...Was also cited by the same publication as the leagues' Best Defensive Shortstop, Best Infield Arm & Most Exciting Player...Selected to the league's mid/post-season All-Star squads...Established minor league career highs in batting, games, RBI and stolen bases...Knocked in a season-high five runs on 4/7 @Frederick...Accounted for 10 total bases on 4/22 @Myrtle Beach, going 3-for-4 with a double, two home runs and three RBI...Reached base safely in 17 straight games from 5/22 thru 6/8 (game one)...Collected an RBI in seven straight games from 7/1-7 (eight total)...Hit .388 (45-for-116) during the month of July...Batted safely in 33 of his 37 games from 6/30 thru 8/9 (game two), going 57-for-149 (.383) with 22 RBI...Swiped three bases on 8/9 vs. Myrtle Beach (game two)...Hit just one home run (8/26 vs. Frederick) in his final 42 games...Made all 132 defensive appearances @shortstop and committed 33 errors.

2001

Spent entire season with Lynchburg...Tied for the league lead in triples...Was rated by Baseball America as the Best Defensive Infielder and having the Best Infield Arm in the Pirates' farm system...Went 9-for-59 (.153) with just three RBI in his first 14 games thru 4/21...Posted four straight multi-hit games from 4/24-27, raising average from .153 to .221...Went 2-for-28 (.071) from 5/13 thru 5/27 (game two) and batted just .196 (36-for-184) in his first 48 games thru 6/1...Hit one home run in his first 51 games thru 6/4...Named Carolina League Player-of-the-Week for week of 6/28 thru 7/4...Hit just .189 (18-for-95) in June, but batted .356 (37-for-104) over 25 games from 6/24 thru 7/22...Walked just once in 25 games during the month of July...Posted consecutive three-RBI contests on 6/28-29 vs. Salem...Scored a run in 11 of his 12 games (15 total) from 7/7-22...Hit safely in his final seven games, going 11-for-30 (.367) with seven RBI and four multi-hit efforts...Made all 121 defensive appearances @shortstop and made 37 errors (second-highest total in the league)...Led league shortstops with 220 putouts and 85 double plays.

2000

Spent entire season at Hickory (A)...Tied for second in the South Atlantic League in total bases (254), ranked third in at bats and tied for fifth in runs and hits...Set career highs in at bats, runs, hits, doubles and triples...Made all 123 defensive appearances @shortstop and made a league-high 60 errors...Also led league shortstops in assists (392) and total chances (650)...Reached base safely in 22 of his first 23 games...Posted an 11-game hitting streak from 4/22 thru 5/4, going 17-for-48 (.354) with three home runs, five RBI and 12 runs scored...Scored four times on 4/29 @Macon...Compiled a season-best 15-game hitting streak from 5/9-25, going 27-for-70 (.386) with 12 RBI and 16 runs scored...Smacked first of two grand slams on 5/6 @Asheville...Hit .339 (41-for-121) in 28 games during the month of May, but just .232 in June...Was named SAL Player-of-the-Week for week of 6/16-22. ...Homered in consecutive games on 6/16-17...Collected a season-high four hits on 7/1 @Greensboro...Went 3-for-5 with a double and a grand slam on 7/3 vs. Delmarva...Whiffed 20 times in an 18-game span from 7/10-30...Went 56 at bats without an extra-base hit from 7/16 thru 8/1...Hit safely in nine straight games from 7/27 thru 8/5 (14-for-40, .350)...Batted .339 during the month of August...Hit safely in 16 of his final 17 games, which included a 10-game streak from 8/11-23 (17-for-48, .354).

1999

Spent entire season with Bradenton (Rookie)...Made 24 appearances @shortstop (11 errors) and 23 @second base (seven errors)...Hit all four of his home runs and scored 20 of his 27 runs while playing at home...Went homerless in his first 20 games (57 at bats)...Received just two walks in 114 at bats from 6/26 thru 8/13 (game two)...Recorded a season-high three hits on 7/15 against the Rangers...Hit .333 (19-for-57) in 14 games from 7/21 thru 8/10, including an eight-game hitting streak from 7/21-29 (11-for-31, .355)...Scored three runs and knocked in a pair of runs, but went 0-for-5 vs. the Red Sox on 7/31...Reached base safely in 10 of his last 11 games, going 12-for-39 (.308) in that time.