(March 31, 2020, York, Pa.) — The York Revolution brought back outfielder Welington Dotel and signed catcher Carlos Castro. The signings were first announced by Revs manager Mark Mason live on Monday’s Revs Hot Stove Weekly presented by Shipley Energy on SportsRadio 98.9 FM & 1350 AM WOYK.
Dotel, 34, returns for his third season in York. The right-handed hitting outfielder batted .313 with 13 home runs, 19 doubles, five triples, 79 RBI, and 34 steals (tied for third in Revs single-season records) in 125 games with York last season, earning a second straight selection to the Atlantic League All-Star Game.
Over his first two seasons in York, Dotel has racked up 14 outfield assists, tied for seventh in franchise history. His 53 career steals with York currently stands as fifth-most in the Revs record books and his 11 triples are tied for fourth. The 2020 season will be Dotel’s sixth in the Atlantic League, where he is a career .313 hitter.
“He can do a lot of things, as we know,” said Mason. “He can hit home runs, he can steal bases, he can bunt. He plays a really great defense and has probably one of the best arms in our league. I’m happy to get him back, and it’s been really good to have him here.”
The Dominican Republic native was named Atlantic League Player of the Year in 2015 after batting .340 (tied for first in league) with eight home runs, 31 doubles (tied for third), and league-highs in hits (180), triples (13), and steals (45) as a member of the Bridgeport Bluefish. Dotel followed that performance by batting .335 (second in league) in 95 games for the Bluefish in 2016. He spent most of 2017 in the Mexican League, batting .333 for Laguna before finishing the campaign in Bridgeport.
Dotel found a home in York early in the 2018 season after initially beginning that year with Sugar Land and was originally a Seattle Mariners prospect, spending the first five seasons of his pro career in their farm system. He enters his 14th pro season in 2020 as a career .311 hitter.
Castro, 25, enters his ninth season of professional baseball. The righty bat spent the past two seasons with Evansville (Frontier League), where he batted .305 with 97 hits, 21 doubles, 11 home runs, and 38 RBI.
The Dominican Republic native spent the first six years of his career in the Atlanta Braves organization. Reaching High-A Florida, Castro was a MiLB.com Organization All-Star in 2016 and a Florida State League All-Star in 2017. While with the Fire Frogs, Castro put together excellent performances, including a 5-for-5 game with three homers and eight RBI against the Daytona Tortugas on May 10, 2017.
The catcher enjoyed his best power year with the Braves in 2016 at Single-A Rome, where he slugged 15 doubles, four triples, and 17 home runs while collecting 57 RBI. This performance powered Rome to a South Atlantic League title in 2016.
During his final three years in the Braves system, Castro compiled 146 RBI in 230 games. In his career, Castro is a .280 hitter with 452 hits, 148 extra-base hits (44 home runs), and 251 RBI. Behind the dish, Castro threw out 35% of attempting base stealers while in the Braves system.
“He can also play first base but we’re looking at him primarily as a catcher coming in,” commented Mason. “He’s a really good hitter as well, and his numbers bear that out. We’re happy to have him coming in, and I know he’s really excited to get going.”
The Revs will unveil more signings each week on Revs Hot Stove Weekly presented by Shipley Energy on SportsRadio 98.9 FM and 1350 WOYK. The next airing will be on Monday, April 6, at 6 p.m., and available online at 989woyk.com and on The New WOYK app.