Who is this? Chicago White Sox catcher Ramon Castro
What is this? An autographed insert card from the 1994 Signature Rookies Draft Picks set
Where'd I get it? card show purchase
How much did it cost? 50 cents
Why is this so special? Ramon Castro, who is two days younger than me, was drafted out of high school by the Houston Astros in 1994. He was the 17th overall pick in the nation.
I almost passed up the card because I didn't realize that the guy who played for the Marlins and Mets began his career in the Astros' organization that long ago. Castro spent five years in the Houston system, but he didn't really distinguish himself and only rose to the AA level in 1998. That year, he was traded to the Florida Marlins. In 1999, Castro made his major league debut.
Castro developed into a solid backup catcher who provides a bit of power. He never became the star that the Astros were hoping for when they drafted him, but Castro has played in 544 more major league games than most people - and he'll still be adding to that total in 2011.
Castro's autograph was neater and more complete in 1994 than it is now - you can see a card I got signed through the mail in 2008 at RandomBaseballStuff.com.
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment