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Ryan Casteel

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Ryan Casteel
Catcher / First baseman
Born: (1991-06-06) June 6, 1991 (age 33)
Chattanooga, Tennessee
Bats: Right
Throws: Right

Ryan Alexander Casteel (born June 6, 1991) is an American former professional baseball catcher who spent his career in the Atlanta Braves, Colorado Rockies, and Seattle Mariners organizations.

Amateur career

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Casteel attended Bradley Central High School in Cleveland, Tennessee. After graduating, he went unselected in the 2009 Major League Baseball (MLB) Draft under the belief he would attend the University of Tennessee. Though he had previously accepted a scholarship to attend the University of Tennessee and play college baseball for the Tennessee Volunteers on a scholarship, Casteel rejected the scholarship, and enrolled at Cleveland State Community College, also in Cleveland.[1][2] This way, Casteel would be eligible for the MLB Draft earlier.[3]

Professional career

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Colorado Rockies

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The Colorado Rockies selected Casteel in the 17th round, with the 530th overall selection, of the 2010 Major League Baseball draft.[2] He began his professional career with the Casper Ghosts of the Rookie-level Pioneer League, and had a .305 batting average. The next year, he had a .273 batting average alongside 1 home run, 30 RBI, and 8 stolen bases in 56 games for the Tri-City Dust Devils of the Low–A Northwest League. In 2012, he played in 71 games for the Asheville Tourists of the Single–A South Atlantic League, and batted .279/.332/.414 with 2 home runs and 28 RBI.[3]

In 2013, he played for the Modesto Nuts of the High–A California League. He was named a midseason All-Star and the California League's Catcher of the Year after hitting .270/.352/.523 with career–highs in home runs (22) and RBI (76) in 108 games.[4][5] He then played for the Melbourne Aces of the Australian Baseball League (ABL) for the 2013–14 ABL season.[6][7] Casteel played in the 2013 Australian Baseball League All-Star Game[8] and won the Helms Award as the ABL's Most Valuable Player.[9]

In 2014, Casteel played for the Tulsa Drillers of the Double–A Texas League, where he was named an All-Star. In 113 games, he hit .280/.341/.445 with 16 home runs and 56 RBI.[2][5] After the year, the Rockies assigned Casteel to the Salt River Rafters of the Arizona Fall League.[5] Casteel spent the majority of the 2015 season with the Albuquerque Isotopes of the Triple–A Pacific Coast League, missing a chunk of the year with a quadriceps injury. Playing in 42 games split between Albuquerque, the Double–A New Britain Rock Cats, and the Low–A Boise Hawks, he accumulated a .306/.313/.425 batting line with 2 home runs and 22 RBI.[10]

The Rockies invited Casteel to major league spring training in 2016.[11] After going 2–for–24 (.083) with 8 strikeouts, he was assigned to Triple–A Albuquerque to begin the season.[12] In 43 games for the Isotopes, he slashed .230/.273/.368 with 3 home runs and 20 RBI. On July 4, 2016, Casteel was released by the Rockies organization.[13]

Seattle Mariners

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On July 7, 2016, Casteel signed a minor league contract with the Seattle Mariners organization.[14] He spent the remainder of the year with the Double–A Jackson Generals, hitting .243/.306/.351 with 3 home runs and 28 RBI across 50 contests. Casteel elected free agency following the season on November 7.[15]

On December 16, 2016, Casteel re–signed with the Mariners on a new minor league contract.[16] He spent the 2017 season with the Double–A Arkansas Travelers, playing in 100 games and hitting .272/.323/.429 with 12 home runs and 61 RBI. Casteel elected free agency following the season on November 6, 2017.[17]

Lancaster Barnstormers

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On February 7, 2018, Casteel signed with the Lancaster Barnstormers of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball[18] He played in 104 games for Lancaster, batting .321/.383/.523 with 16 home runs and 70 RBI. Casteel was named an All–Star for the team, and was also named the Barnstormers Player of the Year for the season.[19] He became a free agent following the 2018 season.

Atlanta Braves

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On January 25, 2019, Casteel signed a minor league contract with the Atlanta Braves organization.[20] He played in 118 games for the Double–A Mississippi Braves, batting .263/.334/.477 with 21 home runs and 73 RBI.[21] Casteel did not play in a game in 2020 due to the cancellation of the minor league season because of the COVID-19 pandemic.[22] He became a free agent on November 2, 2020.[23]

On March 14, 2021, Casteel re-signed with the Braves organization on a minor league contract.[24] He was assigned to the Braves' Triple–A affiliate, the Gwinnett Stripers, for whom he played in 68 games and hit .224/.299/.417 with 8 home runs and 28 RBI.[25] He elected free agency following the season on November 7.[26] On November 29, he again re–signed with Atlanta on a minor league deal.[27] Casteel played in 69 games for Gwinnett in 2022, batting .217/.303/.481 with 17 home runs and 47 RBI.[28]

On November 1, 2022, Casteel again re–signed with the Braves on a new minor league contract.[29] He played in only one game for Triple–A Gwinnett in 2023. In 2024, Casteel made 14 appearances, hitting .213/.245/.362 with two home runs and six RBI. On July 19, 2024, it was announced that Casteel had retired. He was placed on the Voluntarily Retired List by the Gwinnett Stripers.[30]

Coaching Career

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Following his retirement Casteel was hired as a coach for the Atlanta Braves Triple-A affiliate Gwinnett Stripers.

Personal life

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Casteel is married to his wife Bethany.[5][7]

References

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  1. ^ "McDade, Casteel have draft ideas". timesfreepress.com. Retrieved February 12, 2016.
  2. ^ a b c "Texas League notebook: Colorado Rockies' Ryan Casteel comes back strong with Tulsa Drillers – Texas League News". Texas League. Retrieved October 24, 2014.
  3. ^ a b "Still on track: Casteel moving up in minor leagues". timesfreepress.com. Retrieved October 24, 2014.
  4. ^ "Beek's Blog: Casteel went from back-up to top of league's catchers". Archived from the original on October 24, 2014. Retrieved October 24, 2014.
  5. ^ a b c d "Cleveland Daily Banner – Rockies choose Ryan Casteel to play in AFL". Archived from the original on October 24, 2014. Retrieved October 24, 2014.
  6. ^ "Casteel, Massey continue development in Melbourne". Colorado Rockies. Archived from the original on October 25, 2014. Retrieved October 24, 2014.
  7. ^ a b "Casteel and Massey Friendship Grows During Winter Ball in Australia". Archived from the original on October 24, 2014. Retrieved October 24, 2014.
  8. ^ http://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/more-sports/melbourne-aces-all-star-ryan-casteel-excited-about-taking-on-australias-best/story-fnibbyyv-1226783941367?nk=9349b278095bfe5a2c1f8e9c5b70cb4d [dead link‍]
  9. ^ Tyler Maun (April 14, 2014). "Casteel named Helms winner at BADAs". Australian Baseball League. Archived from the original on October 28, 2014. Retrieved October 17, 2014. Casteel named Helms winner at BADAs
  10. ^ Ken Sickenger - Journal Staff Writer. "Isotopes catcher enjoying his alter ego's fame". Retrieved February 12, 2016.
  11. ^ "Rockies' Ryan Casteel: Receives invitation to spring training". cbssports.com. Retrieved July 24, 2023.
  12. ^ "Rockies' Ryan Casteel: Hits .083 in spring training". cbssports.com. Retrieved July 24, 2023.
  13. ^ "Ryan Casteel Stats & Scouting Report". baseballamerica.com. Retrieved July 24, 2023.
  14. ^ "Ryan Casteel Stats, Fantasy & News". milb.com. Retrieved July 25, 2023.
  15. ^ "Minor League Free Agents 2016". baseballamerica.com. Retrieved July 25, 2023.
  16. ^ Eddy, Matt (December 24, 2016). "Minor League Transactions: Dec. 10-22". baseballamerica.com. Archived from the original on June 2, 2017. Retrieved December 24, 2016.
  17. ^ "Minor League Free Agents 2017". baseballamerica.com. Retrieved July 25, 2023.
  18. ^ "Sandford, Frias Return to Lancaster". Lancaster Barnstormers. February 7, 2018. Retrieved February 7, 2018.
  19. ^ "Ryan Casteel Signs With Atlanta". lancasterbarnstormers.com. Retrieved July 24, 2023.
  20. ^ "Ryan Casteel Signs with Atlanta". Lancaster Barnstormers. January 25, 2019. Retrieved January 25, 2019.
  21. ^ "Ryan Casteel - Stats - Batting". fangraphs.com. Retrieved July 25, 2023.
  22. ^ "2020 Minor League Baseball season cancelled". mlb.com. Retrieved July 25, 2023.
  23. ^ "Full List of 2020-2021 MiLB Free Agents". baseballamerica.com. Retrieved July 25, 2023.
  24. ^ "Major League Baseball Transactions".
  25. ^ "Ryan Casteel - Baseball Stats". thebaseballcube.com. Retrieved July 25, 2023.
  26. ^ "2021-22 Minor League Free Agents For All 30 MLB Teams". baseballamerica.com. Retrieved July 25, 2023.
  27. ^ "They Might Be Stripers: Braves' Acquisitions that Could Land on the Gwinnett Roster in 2022". milb.com. Retrieved July 25, 2023.
  28. ^ "Braves' Ryan Casteel: Bound for minor-league camp". cbssports.com. Retrieved July 25, 2023.
  29. ^ "Braves re-sign seven minor league free agents". batterypower.com. Retrieved July 24, 2023.
  30. ^ "Transactions". MiLB.com. Retrieved July 19, 2024.
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