Frank Castillo, a 44-year-old former pitcher for several MLB clubs, was found dead in Bartlett Lake, a body of water northeast of Phoenix, Arizona, according to reports.
Maricopa County Sherrif's officials say police divers retrieved his body from the lake Monday afternoon. Friends of Castillo, as well as his family members say he jumped off his boat into the lake despite being a poor swimmer on Sunday, and never resurfaced.
Those with him called 911 for help at about 2:30 p.m., but a team of divers was unable to locate him. The search was called off until 8:00 a.m. the next day, and the body was discovered at around 2:30 p.m. on Monday.
Castillo's sister Denise Castillo-Rhodes released a statement on behalf of the family that read:
"Frank was a wonderful son, terrific brother and an extraordinary father to his two beautiful girls. Everyone who knew Frank loved Frank. We are devastated by this loss. It is impossible to express in words the level of sadness we feel due to this tragedy. "All of those who counted Frank as a personal friend, and to all those wonderful fans who cheered for him during his major league career, we genuinely appreciate your prayers and kind words during this extremely difficult time. While we may not be able to thank each of you in person, it is very comforting to know that you are with us in spirit."
Castillo was a journeyman pitcher in the big leagues, lasting for 13 seasons. He was 82-104 over the course of his 13 seasons, with his longest stay coming as a member of the Chicago Cubs, where he spend his first seven seasons.
His other stops included the Colorado Rockies, Detroit Tigers, Boston Red Sox, Florida Marlins and Toronto Blue Jays.
Friend and fellow major leaguer Butch Henry commented on Castillo's passing as well, saying, "Anytime you lose a member of such a small fraternity, especially someone you know, it hurts. My thoughts and prayers go out to the Castillo family. Words cannot express how difficult this must be for them."
As a member of the Cubs, Castillo was once quoted as saying "Playing baseball is the greatest job there is."
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