When Was Willi Castro Drafted?

Willi Rafael Castro Capellan (born April 24, 1997) is a Puerto Rican Major League Baseball shortstop for the Detroit Tigers (MLB). Castro signed as an international free agent with the Cleveland Indians in July 2013.



He made his professional debut with the Arizona League Indians in 2014, when he batted.239 with two home runs and 11 RBIs in 43 games.

Willi Castro
Willi Castro was drafted by the Cleveland Indians in July 2013 and signed as an international free agent, making his professional debut in 2014.

In 2015, he batted.264 with one home run, 25 RBIs, and twenty stolen bases for the Mahoning Valley Scrappers, and in 2016, he batted.258 with seven home runs and 49 RBIs for the Lake County Captains and Lynchburg Hillcats.



Castro made the 2021 Tigers team out of spring training and played in his first opening day game at the major league level. After Castro experienced some defensive struggles at shortstop, manager A. J. Hinch began playing him more at second base.

On July 16, the Tigers demoted Castro to AAA Toledo. Through the All-Star break, Castro had posted a .214 batting average and 6 home runs, with a minus-10 Defensive Runs Saved rating at second base.

Castro was recalled to the major league roster on July 22 to replace the injured Isaac Paredes. He finished the 2021 season batting .220/.273/.351 with 9 home runs, 38 RBIs, and 9 stolen bases in 125 games.

On April 6, 2022, the Tigers optioned Castro to AAA Toledo to start the 2022 season. He was recalled to the Tigers on April 17 to replace the injured Javier Báez.