Juan Castro García

Athlete, he played ball and is considered one of the best catchers in all of Cuban baseball history, standing 187 cm tall and weighing 89 kilograms.

He stood out for his defense behind home plate, catching for Pinar del Río teams from the end of the 1970s through the late 1980s.

He played with the great pitching talents of vueltabajero baseball from that era, from Jesús Guerra and Rogelio García, to Julio Romero, Omar Ajete, and Faustino Corrales.

He did not have good results as a batter; however, his unmatched skill in handling pitchers completely compensated for that weakness. The 112 errors in more than 9,400 innings are excellent numbers that demonstrate his quality as a catcher.

In addition to having the best average for fewest passed balls committed of all time, he ranks among the catchers with the best caught stealing percentage in the National Baseball Series.

After retiring as a player, Juan Castro became a manager and directed teams in Cuba and abroad.

In Cuba he obtained two titles managing Vegueros in the development league; and he directed the Sancti Spíritus team during series 47 and 48 of the Cuban classic. In November 2011 he was named manager of the Pinar del Río team, national champions, replacing Alfonso Urquiola.

Abroad, Castro directed several Series A teams in Italy for a period of six years, obtaining several titles.