Tag: allan castro

How did Red Sox OF prospect, Double-A Portland MVP Allan Castro fare in 2025?

Last month, Red Sox prospect Allan Castro was recognized as Double-A Portland’s 2025 Most Valuable Player. This article will examine how the 22-year-old outfielder fared with the Sea Dogs this season.

Castro broke camp with Portland in early April but suffered a left hamstring strain on Opening Day and was sidelined for the next month-plus as a result. He returned to action on May 7 and emerged as a stabilizing force in the Sea Dogs lineup during the season’s first half.

Leading up to the MLB All-Star break in mid-July, Castro batted .286/.373/.454 with eight doubles, one triple, seven home runs, 26 RBIs, 23 runs scored, eight stolen bases, 25 walks, and 44 strikeouts in his first 52 games (212 plate appearances) of the year. Upon returning from the break, however, the switch-hitter slashed an underwhelming .245/.330/.365 with 12 doubles, one triple, no home runs, 11 RBIs, 20 runs scored, seven stolen bases, 19 walks, and 35 strikeouts in his next 40 games (176 plate appearances) through September 7. He was placed on the injured list with an undisclosed injury four days later and ended the season there.

Altogether, Castro batted .268/.353/.400 with a team-leading 20 doubles, two triples, seven home runs, 37 RBIs, 43 runs scored, 15 stolen bases, 44 walks, and 79 strikeouts over 92 total games (388 plate appearances) for Portland in 2025. That includes a .217/.316/.265 line from the right side of the plate and a far more favorable .284/.365/.444 line from the left side.

Among 48 qualified hitters in the Eastern League this season, Castro ranked ninth in batting average, 10th in line-drive rate (26.5 percent), 11th in on-base percentage, 13th in OPS (.753), wOBA (.350), and wRC+ (119), 14th in slugging percentage and strikeout rate (20.4 percent), 15th in walk rate (11.3 percent), and 18th in swinging-strike rate (10.3 percent), per FanGraphs.

Defensively, Castro saw playing time at all three outfield spots for the Sea Dogs this year. The 6-foot-2, 206-pounder logged a team-leading 556 1/3 innings in center, 123 innings in right, and 12 innings in left, committing four errors and recording 10 assists in 188 total chances. He also made 13 starts at DH.

Hailing from the Dominican Republic, Castro originally signed with Boston for $100,000 as an international free agent in July 2019. An infielder at the time, the Santo Domingo native ultimately transitioned to the outfield and earned Red Sox 2021 Latin Program Position Player of the Year honors in his professional debut. He has gradually worked his way up the organizational ladder since then and has often been identified as a potential sleeper prospect.

Castro, who does not turn 23 until next May, is currently regarded by Baseball America as Boston’s No. 20 prospect. Similarly, MLB Pipeline has him ranked as the Red Sox’ No. 22 prospect, while SoxProspects.com has him at No. 26. He can become eligible for this winter’s Rule 5 Draft if not added to the club’s 40-man roster in November, but is otherwise projected to make the jump to Triple-A Worcester in 2026 if he remains in the organization.

(Picture of Allan Castro: Kelly O’Connor/sittingstill.smugmug.com)

Red Sox OF prospect Allan Castro recognized as Eastern League Player of the Week

Red Sox outfield prospect Allan Castro has been named the Eastern League Player of the Week for the week of June 30-July 6, Minor League Baseball announced on Monday.

Castro appeared and recorded multiple hits in all six of Double-A Portland’s games against New Hampshire last week. The switch-hitting 22-year-old went 12-for-24 (.500) with three doubles, one triple, one home run, six RBIs, five runs scored, three walks, and four strikeouts. He doubled, drove in one run, and scored twice on Tuesday, scored once on Wednesday, doubled and drove in one run on Thursday, drove in two runs and scored once on Friday, doubled on Saturday, and tripled and homered in Sunday’s series finale.

Now riding a nine-game hitting streak, Castro is batting .301/.381/.470 with eight doubles, one triple, six home runs, 24 RBIs, 20 runs scored, five stolen bases, 22 walks, and 39 strikeouts in 46 games (189 plate appearances) for Portland this season. That includes a .214/.290/.250 slash line from the right side of the plate and a far more favorable .319/.399/.514 slash line from the left side.

Among the 89 Eastern League hitters who have made at least 180 trips to the plate in 2025, Castro ranks fifth in batting average, 10th in on-base percentage and wOBA (.387), 11th in OPS (.851), 13th in slugging percentage, 14th in wRC+ (146), 26th in swinging-strike rate (9.5 percent), 27th in strikeout rate (20.6 percent), 29th in walk rate (11.6 percent) and line-drive rate (24.4 percent), and 31st in isolated power (.169), per FanGraphs.

On the other side of the ball, Castro has seen playing time at all three outfield spots for the Sea Dogs. The 6-foot-2, 206-pounder has logged a team-leading 265 2/3 innings in center, 25 innings in right, and 12 innings in left, recording five assists without committing an error in 78 total defensive chances. He has also made 10 starts at DH.

Originally signed out of the Dominican Republic for $100,000 in July 2019, Castro is currently regarded by Baseball America as Boston’s No. 23 prospect. The organization’s 2021 Latin Program Position Player of the Year broke camp with Portland (where he struggled to a .180/.274/.230 line after receiving a promotion from High-A Greenville last July) this spring but spent much of the season’s first month on the injured list due to a left hamstring strain. He returned to action on May 7 and has been on an offensive tear as of late.

After being left off the Red Sox’ 40-man roster last year, Castro — who just turned 22 in late May — can once again become eligible for this winter’s Rule 5 Draft if he is not added by the November protection deadline. Taking that into consideration, the possibility remains that Castro could get dealt ahead of the trade deadline later this month. If he remains in the organization, though, it would not be surprising to see him earn a promotion to Triple-A Worcester at some point in the second half.

(Picture of Allan Castro: Kelly O’Connor/sittingstill.smugmug.com)

How did Red Sox OF prospect Allan Castro fare in 2024?

No Red Sox minor-leaguer played in more games this season than outfield prospect Allan Castro.

Castro appeared in 123 total games while splitting the season between High-A Greenville and Double-A Portland. The switch-hitting 21-year-old batted .229/.343/.400 with 23 doubles, four triples, 15 home runs, 57 RBIs, 80 runs scored, 17 stolen bases, 74 walks, and 124 strikeouts over 530 plate appearances. That includes a .235/.311/.358 slash line against left-handed pitching and a .228/.350/.409 slash line against righties.

To open the 2024 campaign, Castro broke camp with Greenville this spring. He overcame a slow start at the dish by slashing .243/.363/.449 with 21 doubles, four triples, 14 home runs, 48 RBIs, 65 runs scored, 11 stolen bases, 61 walks, and 94 strikeouts in 95 games (413 plate appearances) for the Drive before being promoted to Portland in mid-August.

Though he was riding a relatively hot bat at the time of his promotion, Castro struggled to get things going offensively upon making the jump from the South Atlantic League to the Eastern League. He produced a .180/.274/.230 line with two doubles, one home run, nine RBIs, 15 runs scored, six stolen bases, 13 walks, and 30 strikeouts in 28 games (117 plate appearances) for the Sea Dogs.

Among the 185 minor-leaguers who made at least 500 trips to the plate this season, Castro ranked 24th in walk rate (14 percent), 58th in speed score (6.6), 70th in isolated power (.171), 75th in wRC+ (114), and 84th in swinging-strike rate (11.1 percent), per FanGraphs.

Defensively, Castro saw playing time at all three outfield positions between his stops in Greenville and Portland this year. The 6-foot-2, 206-pounder logged 256 innings in left field, 413 2/3 innings in center field, and 251 innings in right field, committing just one error and recording seven assists in 202 total chances. Interestingly enough, 27 of his 28 starts for the Sea Dogs came in left field.

A native of the Dominican Republic, Castro originally signed with the Red Sox for $100,000 as an international free agent coming out of Santo Domingo in July 2019. Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, he did not make his professional debut in the Dominican Summer League until 2021 but was later recognized as the organization’s Latin Program Position Player of the Year.

While he may not get as much shine as some of the other position-playing prospects in Boston’s farm system, Castro is still accounted for on several publications’ Red Sox Top 30 lists. At present, Baseball America has him ranked 23rd, MLB Pipeline has him ranked 19th, and SoxProspects.com has him ranked 16th.

Castro, who does not turn 22 until May, is projected by SoxProspects.com to return to Portland for the start of the 2025 season. He can, however, become eligible for this winter’s Rule 5 Draft if he is not added to the Red Sox’ 40-man roster before next month’s protection deadline.

(Picture of Allan Castro: Maddie Malhotra/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images)

Red Sox to promote OF prospects Jhostynxon Garcia, Allan Castro to Double-A Portland

The Red Sox are promoting outfield prospects Jhostynxon Garcia and Allan Castro from High-A Greenville to Double-A Portland, as was first reported by Beyond the Monster’s Josh Ball.

Garcia and Castro, both 21, are currently regarded by Baseball America as the Nos. 18 and 23 prospects in Boston’s farm system, respectively. They originally joined the Red Sox organization as international free agents coming out of Venezuela and the Dominican Republic in July 2019.

Affectionately nicknamed “The Password” because of all the consonants in his first name, Garcia is on the move for the second time this season. The right-handed hitter opened the 2024 campaign at Low-A Salem and connected on five home runs while producing a .882 OPS in his first 24 games before receiving a promotion to Greenville in late May. He then batted a stout .311/.371/.627 with 14 doubles, two triples, 16 homers, 37 RBIs, 44 runs scored, one stolen base, 12 walks, and 50 strikeouts in 53 games (229 plate appearances) for the Drive.

Defensively, Garcia saw playing time at all three outfield positions in his time with Greenville. The 6-foot-2, 220-pounder logged 17 innings in left field, 165 innings in right field, and 191 innings in center field, committing two errors and recording two outfield assists in 80 total chances. He also started 10 games at DH.

Castro, meanwhile, is on the move for the first time in 2024 after breaking camp with Greenville this past spring. The switch-hitter got off to somewhat of a slow start offensively before turning a corner in July. All told, he slashed .243/.363/.449 with 21 doubles, four triples, 14 home runs, 48 RBIs, 65 runs scored, 11 stolen bases, 61 walks, and 94 strikeouts in 95 games (413 plate appearances) for the Drive this season.

On the other side of the ball, Castro — like Garcia — made starts at all three outfield spots for Greenville. The 6-foot-1, 170-pounder logged 19 innings in left field, 251 innings in right field, and 413 2/3 innings in center field, committing just one error and recording five outfield assists in 151 total chances. He also started 17 games at DH.

As SoxProspects.com’s director of scouting Ian Cundall alluded to recently, it will be interesting to see how Garcia and Castro adjust to facing more advanced pitching at the Double-A level. They are both Rule 5-eligible at year’s end, so encouraging stints with Portland could strengthen their case to be added to the Red Sox’ 40-man roster this winter.

(Picture of Jhostynxon Garcia: Gwinn Davis/Greenville Drive)

Red Sox OF prospect Allan Castro makes MLB Pipeline’s Team of the Week

Red Sox outfield prospect Allan Castro made MLB Pipeline’s Team of the Week for the week of July 8-14, MLB.com revealed on Monday.

Castro, Boston’s No. 12 prospect according to MLB Pipeline, has been swinging a hot bat as of late for High-A Greenville. In last week’s series on the road against the Rome Emperors, the switch-hitting 21-year-old went 8-for-18 (.444) with four home runs, eight RBIs, seven runs scored, one walk, and five strikeouts. Three of those four homers came in a doubleheader at AdventHealth Stadium on Thursday.

After accounting for the only scoring with an early two-run double in Sunday’s win over Rome, Castro is now riding a six-game hitting streak. In 10 games this month, he has gone 14-for-39 (.359) with seven home runs. On the 2024 season as a whole, he has batted .239/.365/.434 with 16 doubles, two triples, 11 homers, 35 RBIs, 49 runs scored, eight stolen bases, 50 walks, and 75 strikeouts in 76 games (329 plate appearances) for Greenville. That includes a .233/.324/.367 slash line against left-handed pitching and a .241/.375/.453 slash line against righties.

Among 69 qualified hitters in the South Atlantic League, Castro ranks eighth in walk rate (15.2 percent), 31st in strikeout rate (22.8 percent), 10th in on-base percentage, 24th in slugging percentage, 15th in OPS (.799) and wRC+ (125), 17th in isolated power (.195), and 28th in line-drive rate (22.4 percent) and swinging-strike rate (11.3 percent), per FanGraphs.

On the other side of the ball, Castro has primarily split his playing time this season between center and right field. The 6-foot-2, 206-pounder has made a team-leading 41 starts in center for the Drive and has recorded three assists to one error in 83 defensive chances. In 22 starts as a right fielder, he has recorded two assists to zero errors over 41 chances.

A native of the Dominican Republic, Castro originally signed with the Red Sox for $100,000 as an international free agent coming out of Santo Domingo in July 2019. He did not make his professional debut until 2021 because of the COVID-19 pandemic but was named Boston’s Latin Program Position Player of the Year that fall for his performance in the Dominican Summer League.

Since then, Castro has emerged as an intriguing prospect who has shown that he can play all three outfield positions. He can become Rule 5 eligible if he is not added to the Red Sox’ 40-man roster at the end of the year, which makes him a potential candidate to be moved as part of a bigger deal ahead of the upcoming trade deadline.

Assuming he remains in the organization for the time being, though, Castro could be in line for a promotion to Double-A Portland soon. He made the jump from Salem to Greenville during last year’s All-Star break and has held his own there, so it may be time for a new challenge.

(Picture of Allan Castro: Kelly O’Connor/sittingstill.smugmug.com)

Red Sox outfield prospect Allan Castro takes another step forward in 2023

Another year, another step forward for Red Sox outfield prospect Allan Castro.

Castro, who assistant general manager Eddie Romero identified as a sleeper prospect at the conclusion of the 2022 season, broke camp this spring with Low-A Salem and served as the Red Sox’ Opening Day right fielder.

In 69 games with Boston’s Carolina League affiliate, Castro batted .247/.376/.378 with 20 doubles, two triples, three home runs, 29 RBIs, 39 runs scored, 15 stolen bases, 51 walks, and 54 strikeouts over 306 plate appearances. The 20-year-old then received a promotion to High-A Greenville in mid-July and debuted for the Drive immediately following the All-Star break.

With the eventual South Atlantic League champions, the switch-hitting Castro slashed a stout .283/.355/.446 to go along with 11 doubles, two more triples, four homers, 17 runs driven in, 23 runs scored, four stolen bases, 17 walks, and 26 strikeouts in 43 games (186 plate appearances). He also went 4-for-13 (.308) with a home run in four postseason games as Greenville went on to clinch its first Sally League title since 2017 last month.

Among 137 hitters who made at least 180 trips to the plate during the regular season, Castro ranked 21st in strikeout rate (19.4 percent), 17th in batting average, 39th in slugging percentage, 31st in slugging percentage, 27th in OPS (.801), 16th in line-drive rate (24.6 percent), and 29th in wRC+ (119), per FanGraphs.

Between Salem and Greenville, Castro saw playing time at all three outfield positions. With the Drive specifically, the 6-foot, 170-pounder logged 49 innings in left, 138 innings in center, and 127 innings in right. He committed a total of three errors while recording one outfield assist.

A native of the Dominican Republic, Castro originally signed with the Red Sox for $100,000 as an international free agent in July 2019. At that time, Castro was viewed as a middle infielder, but he had already transitioned to the outfield by the time he made his professional debut in the Dominican Summer League two years after signing as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Castro made strides right away in the DSL and was recognized as Boston’s 2021 Latin Program Position Player of the Year. He then made the jump to the rookie-level Florida Complex League in 2022 and impressed there before closing out the season in Salem.

Coming into the 2023 campaign, Castro was unranked by publications such as Baseball America and MLB Pipeline. He is now regarded by the former as the No. 27 and by the latter as the No. 30 prospect in Boston’s farm system. SoxProspects.com, on the other hand, now has Castro ranked 17th on its list after having him at No. 33 to begin the year.

Castro, who does not turn 21 until next May, can become eligible for the Rule 5 Draft this winter if he is not added to the Red Sox’ 40-man roster by the protection deadline in November. Given his lack of experience in the upper-minors, though, the likely outcome is that Castro is left unprotected, is not picked up by another team, and remains in the organization as an intriguing prospect with room to grow.

Barring a trade or any sort of other move, Castro is projected by SoxProspects.com to return to Greenville for the start of the 2024 minor-league season in April.

(Picture of Allan Castro: Kelly O’Connor/sittingstill.smugmug.com)

Red Sox to promote outfield prospect Allan Castro to High-A Greenville

The Red Sox are promoting outfield prospect Allan Castro from Low-A Salem to High-A Greenville, as was first reported by Hunter Noll of Beyond the Monster.

Castro, 20, batted .247/.376/.379 with 20 doubles, two triples, three home runs, 29 RBIs, 39 runs scored, 15 stolen bases, 51 walks, and 54 strikeouts in 69 games (306 plate appearances) with Salem this season. While a .754 OPS certainly isn’t eye-popping, the switch-hitter has picked things up offensively as of late.

Over his last 18 games dating back to June 14, for instance, Castro has slashed a stout .328/.456/.508 with six doubles, one triple, one homer, nine runs driven in, 10 runs scored, three stolen bases, and more walks than strikeouts (16-to-10) across 79 trips to the plate heading into the All-Star break.

Among qualified hitters in the Carolina League to this point in the season, Castro ranks third in highest walk rate (16.7%), 12th in lowest strikeout rate (17.6 percent), 16th in on-base percentage, 17th in OPS, ninth in line-drive rate (25.3 percent), 17th in swinging-strike rate (9 percent), and 16th in wRC+ (123), per FanGraphs.

Defensively, Castro saw playing time at all three outfield positions for Salem. The 6-foot-1, 170-pounder logged 31 innings in right, 185 in left, and a team-leading 282 2/3 innings in center. Between the three spots, he recorded four outfield assists while committing four errors in 96 total chances.

Castro is currently regarded by Baseball America as the No. 22 prospect in Boston’s farm system. The Dominican Republic native originally signed with the Red Sox for $100,000 as an international free agent coming out of Santo Domingo in July 2019.

Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, Castro did not make his organizational debut until 2021, when he posted a .756 OPS in 46 Dominican Summer League games and subsequently earned Red Sox Latin Program Position Player of the Year honors.

Castro took his talents stateside last season and appeared in 39 Florida Complex League games before making the jump to Salem in late August. Though he hit just .188 (6-for-32) in his first taste of Low-A ball, the Red Sox were encouraged by the year Castro had overall.

“Castro took a significant step forward this season,” Red Sox assistant general manager Eddie Romero told BloggingtheRedSox.com back in September. “He’s continued to grow and gained a lot of strength. Additionally, he found ways to make his swing more efficient and started using the whole field more often.”

Romero went on to say that Castro’s “athleticism is starting to show itself more on the field” and noted that the then-19-year-old was “sort of a sleeper prospect who we expect will do more things in 2023.”

Castro, who does not turn 21 until next May, is now slated to join a talented outfield group in Greenville that is headlined by top prospect Roman Anthony. Like Castro, Anthony also began the season in Salem before earning a promotion last month.

(Picture of Allan Castro: Kelly O’Connor/sittingstill.smugmug.com)

Red Sox prospect Allan Castro takes another step forward in first season stateside

Allan Castro can no longer be called the reigning Red Sox Latin Program Position Player of the Year. That distinction now falls to infielder/outfielder Andy Lugo, who received the honor on Monday.

Castro, however, put together a strong first season in the United States after being named the organization’s Latin Program Position Player of the Year in 2021.

Following a 2021 campaign in which he posted a .756 OPS in the Dominican Summer League, Castro made the jump to the Florida Complex League for the start of the 2022 season. In 39 games with Boston’s rookie-level affiliate in Fort Myers, the switch-hitter slashed a respectable .279/.355/.451 with four doubles, four triples, three home runs, 17 RBIs, 19 runs scored, eight stolen bases, 13 walks, and 32 strikeouts over 141 plate appearances.

Though he may have been overshadowed by fellow outfielder Miguel Bleis, Castro still ranked 11th in batting average, 26th in on-base percentage, eighth in slugging percentage, ninth in OPS (.805), 11th in isolated power (.172), 13th in speed score (7.8), and 11th in wRC+ (122) among FCL hitters who made at least 140 trips to the plate this season, per FanGraphs.

Not long after the Florida Complex League season came to a close, Castro and several other Red Sox minor-leaguers earned a promotion to Low-A Salem. He registered just one hit in his first five games with Salem but ended the year by going 5-for-18 (.278) with a double, a triple, four RBIs, and five runs scored in his final five games.

“Castro took a significant step forward this season,” Red Sox assistant general manager Eddie Romero told BloggingtheRedSox.com via email. “He’s continued to grow and gained a lot of strength. Additionally, he found ways to make his swing more efficient and started using the whole field more often.”

Between the two affiliates, Castro logged 232 1/3 innings in left field, 84 innings in center field, and 24 innings in right field. The 6-foot-1, 170-pounder recorded four outfield assists and committed just one error all year.

“His athleticism is starting to show itself more on the field,” Romero said. “He is sort of a sleeper prospect who we expect will do more things in 2023.”

Castro, 19, is currently regarded by SoxProspects.com as the No. 53 prospect in Boston’s farm system. The Red Sox originally signed the native Dominican for $100,000 as an international free-agent coming out of Santo Domingo in July 2019.

At that time, Castro was a middle infielder, but he has since made the transition to the outfield and figures to stick there moving forward. Taking into account that he does not turn 20 until next May, Castro is projected by SoxProspects.com to return to Salem for the start of the 2023 season.

(Picture of Allan Castro: Bryan Green/Flickr)

Who is Red Sox prospect Allan Castro? Get to know the organization’s 2021 Latin Program Position Player of the Year

Red Sox outfield prospect Allan Castro comes into the 2022 season fresh off being recognized as the organization’s Latin Program Position Player of the Year in 2021.

Castro, 18, was originally signed by the Sox as a middle infielder coming out of the Dominican Republic in July 2019. The Santo Domingo native received a signing bonus of $100,000, but has since made the move to the outfield.

After the start of his professional career was pushed back on account of the COVID-19 pandemic, Castro made his pro debut in the Dominican Summer League last year. Upon being assigned to the DSL Red Sox Red affiliate in July, the switch-hitting outfielder proceeded to bat .232/.335/.421 (110 wRC+) to go along with eight doubles, seven triples, three home runs, 19 RBIs, 24 runs scored, three stolen bases, 21 walks, and 43 strikeouts over 46 games spanning 194 plate appearances.

Among all DSL hitters who made at least 190 trips to the plate last season, Castro ranked tied for first in triples, 28th in slugging percentage, and 13th in isolated power (.189), per FanGraphs.

Defensively, Castro saw playing time at all three outfield positions in 2021. The 6-foot-1, 170 pounder logged 95 innings in left field, 32 innings in center, and 175 1/3 innings in right while recording a total of six outfield assists and turning a total of two double plays.

Back in September, SoxProspects.com’s director of scouting Ian Cundall identified Castro as “one of the Red Sox’ most promising hitters in the DSL, showing the potential to hit for average and power.”

“He has some swing-and-miss in his game, but could get to above-average raw power eventually and an average defensive profile in right field, including a potential above-average arm,” Cundall wrote. “Scouts identified Castro as having one of the best pure bats in the Red Sox’ DSL program and as one to watch when he makes the jump stateside.”  

As Cundall alluded to, Castro is slated to begin the 2022 minor-league season in the rookie-level Florida Complex League. Red Sox assistant general manager Eddie Romero indicated as much in a recent email exchange with BloggingtheRedSox.com.

“Regarding Castro, his career was delayed by the pandemic lost season, and he was really standing out from the offensive end until he tired later in the DSL summer,” wrote Romero. “Encouraging to see a position change to the outfield not affect him, and he ended up with a good range of extra-base hits. We have a talented group of outfielders expected to play in the FCL, and he’ll be in the mix for priority at-bats within that group.”

Castro, who turns 19 in May, is not currently regarded by any major publication as one of the top prospects in Boston’s farm system. Given that he still has room to grow and develop, though, it would not be surprising to see Castro gain some notoriety and rise up the rankings a bit this summer if he impresses in the FCL.

(Picture of Allan Castro via his Instagram)