Roberto Castellon
Roberto Castellon Yuen
- Bats Right, Throws Right
- Height 5' 11", Weight 152 lb.
- Born January 1, 1944 in Guadalajara, Jalisco Mexico
Biographical Information[edit]
Roberto Castellon was a second baseman who played from 1964-1976 and managed from 1975-1996.
Castellon debuted with the 1964 Fresnillo Rojos, hitting .222. He did not play in 1965-1966, then returned to Fresnillo in 1967 at age 23 and batted .341/.359/.514 with 11 triples, 16 home runs, 99 runs and 85 RBI. As the OBP indicates, his walk rate was the big negative on offense - only 16 walks in 128 games. He also made 36 errors, the most of any second baseman in the Mexican Center League. He did finish 5th in the league in batting average and was named the All-Star second sacker on the strength of his offense.
In 1968-1969, Roberto played for the Puerto Mexico Portenos and Puerto Mexico Charros (respectively) in the Mexican Southeast League. In '68, he hit .264/.301/.318 and played 94 games, tying five others for the league lead. He again had more errors (26) than any other 2B in his circuit. The next year, the Guadalajara native led the league in errors (31) but this time he also led in putouts (317) and double plays (72). He hit .278/.300/.374.
Castellon was back in the Mexican Center League in 1970, now with the San Luis Potosi Charros. He put up a blistering .380/.426/.515 line with 73 runs, 11 triples and 14 steals in 17 tries. His defense was also sharper - .982 in 48 games at 2B (best of any player with 15+ games), 1.000 in 13 games at 3B and .938 in 47 games at SS (just ahead of the median). He was third in average behind Miguel Suarez and Trinidad Cardona and tied for the lead in triples. He did not make the All-Star team, probably due to his lacking one set position.
Castellon split 1971 between San Luis Potosi (9 for 23, 2 2B, 2 HR, 2 BB) and the Charros de Jalisco (.285/.306/.354), finally making his Mexican League debut. Roberto drew just 4 walks in 53 Mexican League games that season. For Jalisco, he backed up Roberto Méndez at second base. In '72, Roberto had his best Mexican League campaign. The 28-year-old hit .316/.352/.394 for the Cafeteros de Cordoba. He fielded .973, better than some of his early-career figures.
Still with Cordoba in 1973, Castellon fell to .233/.277/.296. He batted .252/.290/.277 in 1974, split between Cordoba (8 G) and the Alijadores de Tampico (106 G). His defense was now his strong point, as his .976 fielding percentage was 4th among the 16 starting second basemen in the Mexican League. He began 1975 with Tampico but was just 14 for 80 with 2 doubles and 2 walks, ending his Mexican League career as a player, Overall, he had hit .265/.302/.318 in 358 Mexican League games, with 52 walks and only 4 steals in 17 tries. He did not homer in 1,080 LMB at-bats.
He ended 1975 and spent 1976 as player-manager of Acambaro in the Mexican Center League. He hit .321/.384/.416 the first year and .387/.438/.542 the latter. Had he qualified, he would have beaten Ubaldo Guzman for the batting title in his final season; it was second time over .380 in the MCL.
Castellon would remain a manager for years, guiding many more teams, mostly in the Mexican League, his career finally ending in 1996.
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