Fred Costello

Fred Michael Costello

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 6' 4", Weight 190 lb.

• High School Oceana High School

• Born October 1, 1966 in Clearlake, CA USA

BR Register page

Biographical Information

Fred Costello pitched in the minor leagues and the CPBL.

Costello was drafted by the Houston Astros in the 4th round of the 1986 Amateur Draft (84th overall, two picks before Kent Bottenfield), and he went 4-5 with a 4.75 ERA for the GCL Astros in his first year. He went 5-7 with a 3.22 ERA in GCL in 1987 (tied for second in the Gulf Coast League in losses), then he was 6-7 with a 3.55 ERA and 11 saves in 51 relief outings for the Asheville Tourists in 1988. He was third in the Appalachian League in games pitched (after Steve Wapnick and Bob MacDonald) and 9th in saves. Among Astros minor leaguers, he was 4th in appearances (the others in the top five all played in MLB) and tied Todd Credeur for 4th in saves.

The Californian’s ERA was 3.33 in 30 games for the Columbus Mudcats in 1989, and he collected 7 saves with a 4.17 ERA in 35 games for them in 1990. He only pitched 5 games with a 7.50 ERA for the Osceola Astros in 1991 (presumably due to injury), then he bounced back and recorded a 2.70 ERA in 19 games in 1992. He also went 2-2 with a 2.70 ERA for the Jackson Generals that season.

As a starter, Costello was 8-3 with a 2.32 ERA in Jackson in 12 games in 1993, and he reached AAA that season. He started 14 games for the Tucson Toros, and he went 6-2 with a 3.69 ERA. He led Houston farmhands in wins, one ahead of Jim Bruske. Costello then signed with the San Francisco Giants in 1994, and he was 7-10 with a 5.30 ERA. He then moved to the Chicago White Sox, but he struggled again as he went 0-2 with a 5.11 ERA for the Nashville Sounds. He joined the Brother Elephants in May, but his ERA was 4.50 in 3 games, then he was released in June.

He later was a long-time scout, with the Arizona Diamondbacks and Washington Nationals. He signed Chris Carter, Conor Jackson, Carlos Quentin, Mark Romanczuk, Blake Smith, Shawn Tolleson and Austin Voth.