Rusney Castillo facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Rusney Castillo |
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Castillo with the Long Island Ducks in 2022.
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| Conspiradores de Querétaro – No. 15 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Outfielder | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Born: July 9, 1987 Ciego de Ávila, Cuba |
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| Professional debut | ||||||||||||||||||||
| MLB: September 17, 2014, for the Boston Red Sox | ||||||||||||||||||||
| NPB: April 23, 2021, for the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles | ||||||||||||||||||||
| MLB statistics (through 2016 season) |
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| Batting average | .262 | |||||||||||||||||||
| Home runs | 7 | |||||||||||||||||||
| Runs batted in | 35 | |||||||||||||||||||
| NPB statistics (through 2021 season) |
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| Batting average | .225 | |||||||||||||||||||
| Home runs | 1 | |||||||||||||||||||
| Runs batted in | 3 | |||||||||||||||||||
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Rusney Castillo Peraza (born July 9, 1987) is a professional baseball player from Cuba. He plays as an outfielder for the Conspiradores de Querétaro in the Mexican League. Rusney has also played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Boston Red Sox and in Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) for the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles. He is 5 feet 9 inches (1.75 m) tall and weighs 195 pounds (88 kg). He bats and throws with his right hand.
Castillo was born in Ciego de Ávila, a city in central Cuba. When he was 22, he joined Los Tigres, his hometown baseball team in the Cuban National Series. He also played for the Cuba national baseball team in big international games. These included the 2011 Baseball World Cup and the 2011 Pan American Games. In December 2013, he left Cuba to play in MLB. In August 2014, Castillo signed a large contract with the Boston Red Sox.
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Playing Baseball in Cuba
Castillo joined the Ciego de Ávila team for the 2008–2009 season. He played with them until 2012–2013. In his first two years, he played in fewer games. He played 28 games in his first year and 44 in his second. He hit well, with averages of .349 and .303. He mostly played second base, third base, and in the corner outfield. Later, he became a strong center fielder.
Breakout Season
His best season was in 2010–2011. He played much more and had a .320 batting average. He hit 22 home runs and had 95 runs batted in (RBI) in 107 games. He also scored 75 runs, hit 27 doubles, and five triples. He led the league with 32 stolen bases.
Castillo had another great season in 2011–2012. He batted .342 and had a .574 slugging percentage in 113 games. He stole 27 bases and had a strong .408 on-base percentage. He drove in 84 runs and scored 101 times. He also led the league with 37 doubles.
His last season in Cuba was 2012–2013. His batting average went down to .274. He played 68 games, with six homers, 29 RBI, and 15 stolen bases.
Playing for Cuba's National Team
Castillo became a key player for the Cuba national baseball team. After other star players left Cuba, he became the main center fielder. He played in the 2011 Baseball World Cup in Panama. He was named to the tournament's All-Star team. He led the World Cup in batting average (.512) and slugging (.854). He had 21 hits in 41 tries, with four doubles, two triples, and two homers in 10 games.
Castillo also played in the 2011 Pan American Games in Mexico. He hit .273 there. He also played in the World Port Tournament in the Netherlands. In 2012, he played in exhibition games in other countries. These games were to get ready for the 2013 World Baseball Classic. Castillo was supposed to be on the team but was removed. He was suspended for trying to leave Cuba.
He tried to leave Cuba again and was successful. In June 2014, he became a free agent for Major League Baseball. This happened after he moved to the Dominican Republic.
Professional Baseball Career
Boston Red Sox
On August 23, 2014, the Boston Red Sox signed Castillo to a seven-year contract. He was given jersey number 38, which he also wore in Cuba.
Castillo played his first Major League Baseball game on September 17, 2014. He was the Red Sox's starting center fielder. He got his first MLB hit in the fourth inning. Castillo played in 10 games for the Red Sox in 2014. He hit .333 with two home runs and six RBI.
Castillo started the 2015 season with the Triple-A Pawtucket Red Sox. He played 40 games there, hitting .282 with three home runs. He was called up to Boston in May. He played in 80 MLB games for the Red Sox. He hit .253 with five home runs and 29 RBI.
In 2016, Castillo spent most of the season with Triple-A Pawtucket. He played only nine games for Boston. Overall, in three seasons with Boston (2014–2016), Castillo played in 99 MLB games. He hit .262 with 7 home runs and 35 RBI. He was a good fielder, with a .975 fielding percentage in the outfield.
Time in the Minor Leagues
Castillo spent a lot of time playing for the Pawtucket Red Sox. In 2017, he played 87 games for them. He hit .314 with 15 home runs and 43 RBI. He did not play any MLB games that year. In 2018, he played 117 games for Pawtucket. He hit .319 with five home runs and 59 RBI. His .319 average was the best in the International League. He was also named to the International League All-Star Team.
In 2019, Castillo continued to play for Pawtucket. He played 120 games, hitting .278 with 17 home runs and 64 RBI. His contract with the Red Sox ended in 2020. He did not play in 2020 because the minor league season was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In October 2020, he became a free agent.
Overall, in five seasons with Pawtucket (2015–2019), Castillo played in 467 minor league games. He hit .293 with 42 home runs and 217 RBI. He was a very good outfielder, with a .990 fielding percentage.
Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles
On January 9, 2021, Castillo signed a contract with the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles. This team plays in Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) in Japan. He made his NPB debut on April 23, 2021. Castillo played in 33 games, hitting .225 with one home run and three RBI. He became a free agent after that season.
Long Island Ducks
On April 22, 2022, Castillo signed with the Long Island Ducks. This team is part of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball. He played in 57 games, hitting .278 with three home runs and 24 RBI. He was released by the team in July.
Staten Island FerryHawks
On July 11, 2022, Castillo signed with the Staten Island FerryHawks, also in the Atlantic League. He played in 43 games for Staten Island. He hit .325 with 3 home runs, 23 RBI, and 4 stolen bases. He became a free agent after the season.
Mariachis de Guadalajara
On March 28, 2023, Castillo signed with the Mariachis de Guadalajara in the Mexican League. In 13 games, he had 12 hits and five RBI. He was released in June.
Conspiradores de Querétaro
On January 16, 2024, Castillo signed with the Conspiradores de Querétaro of the Mexican League. In 18 games for Querétaro, he hit .351 with three home runs and 19 RBI. He also stole one base.
Castillo re-signed with Querétaro on March 13, 2025, and continues to play for them.
Personal Life
Rusney Castillo is married and has one daughter. In early 2018, he was able to visit Cuba for the first time since he left. While playing in Pawtucket, he lived in Boston. He would drive about an hour to get to home games.
See also
- List of baseball players who defected from Cuba
