Carlos Castillo learning by playing for the Marauders

Young pitcher learning on the fly for the Bradenton Marauders

Photo Credit: WTM

Carlos Castillo got one of the highest bonuses the Pirates handed out during the 2023 International free agent market. Despite that, he has run somewhat under the radar over the last couple of years—Jun-Seok Shim was a part of the same signing class.

He put together a good campaign in the DSL during 2023, posting a 1.70 ERA with 40 strikeouts and 15 walks over 37.1 innings pitched, and then followed that up with a good season in the Complex at 18 in 2024.

In 12 games, nine starts, Castillo posted a 2.86 ERA with 27 strikeouts and 18 walks in 34.2 innings pitched. He got a late taste of Bradenton, where the overall numbers weren’t great (9.64 ERA), but he did see his strikeout and walk rates improve.

Now a mainstay in Bradenton’s rotation to start the year, Castillo has seen plenty of ups and downs in 2025. He tossed four shutout innings in his season debut and posted a 2.35 ERA in April.

May has been more of a struggle, but he did have a strong outing against Fort Myers on May 27, allowing just two runs on three hits over five innings pitched.