Vinny Castilla

Atlanta Braves (1991-1992)

The Atlanta Braves purchased Castilla's contract from the Saltillo club out of the Mexican League in 1990. He made his MLB debut as a shortstop for the Braves on September 9, 1991. For the 1992 season he only appeared in 9 games.

Colorado Rockies (1993-1999)

In November 1992 he was selected by the Rockies in the expansion draft. For the 1993 season he played regularly hitting 9 home runs and 9 triples (8th in the league) in 105 games as a shortstop. In 1994 his playing time was reduced mainly due to the acquisition of shortstop Walt Weiss and the 1994-95 Major League Baseball strike. Castilla only saw action in 52 games, playing all four positions in the infield.

After the departure of starting third baseman Charlie Hayes, Castilla was the leading candidate to man third base for the 1995 season. This, along with the help of manager Don Baylor, was the turning point on Castllas's career, hitting .319 with 17 home runs and 48 runs batted in by the All Star break, earning him a backup spot in the All Star team. He was later named the starting third baseman for the NL after Matt Williams was out with an injury. He finished the season with a .309 batting average, 32 home runs and 90 RBIs. In the NLDS against Atlanta he hit .467 with 3 home runs. Many considered Castilla's numbers to be a fluke, mainly because of playing at the friendly confines of a thin-air Denver stadium, a stigma that would follow Vinny for most of his Colorado career. However, in 1996 he surpassed his numbers from the previous year, his 40th home run came on the last game of the season, he finished the year hitting .304 with 40 home runs, including 2 Grand Slams for a total of 113 RBIs. For the 1997 season he would have exactly the same totals of home runs, RBIs and batting average (40-113-.304) as well as 3 multi-homer games on the year.

Castilla's most productive season was 1998, earning his second All-Star and his first Home Run Derby selection in front of his home crowd in Colorado. Playing in all 162 games he finished the season with 46 home runs (4th in the league), 144 RBIs (3rd), 206 hits (3rd), 380 total bases (3rd),108 runs scored and a .319 batting average (10th in the league and career-high), good enough numbers to finish 11th in the NL MVP ballot.

On April 4, 1999, Castilla was a part of history as the Rockies played their Opening Day contest in his native Mexico at Estadio de Béisbol Monterrey in Monterrey. The game marked the first time Major League Baseball (MLB) commenced the regular season outside of the United States or Canada. The Rockies' opponent were the defending National League champion San Diego Padres. Castilla delighted the crowd with four hits including a double, as Colorado won 8–2.

On June 6, 1999, Castilla produced his first career three-home run game against the Milwaukee Brewers. He finished the season with 33 home runs and 102 RBIs.

Tampa Bay Devil Rays (2000-2001)

Prior to the 2000 season, Castilla was sent to the Tampa Bay Devil Rays, a team that featured veteran sluggers Jose Canseco, Greg Vaughn and Fred McGriff. However, he played only in 85 games, hitting for a .221 BA and 6 home runs.

The following year, he played only 24 games for Tampa Bay before being traded to the Houston Astros.

Houston Astros (2001)

After playing only 24 games for Tampa Bay at the beginning of the 2001 season, Castilla went to play for the Houston Astros where he re-discovered his power at the plate. He played in 122 games, hitting 23 home runs (including three in one game against the Pirates on July 28) and 82 RBIs, making it to the post season with the Astros, where he hit .273 with a solo home run in the NLDS.

Return to the Atlanta Braves (2002-2003)

He was signed as a free agent by the Braves in 2002. Although his offensive numbers declined (.232/12/61), he established himself as a premier defender at third base, leading the league in fielding average with .982. In the post season he hit a solid .320 with a home run and 4 RBIs. He played another season with the Braves in 2003, finishing the year with 22 homers and 76 runs batted in.

Return to the Colorado Rockies and final seasons (2004-2006)

He returned for a second stint with the Colorado Rockies for the 2004 season and had a tremendous year, hitting 43 doubles and 35 home runs, and led the league with 131 RBIs. Defensively Castilla had arguably his best season at third base, leading the league in fielding average and committing only 6 errors all year long. Inexplicably he was denied of Gold Glove, Silver Slugger Award or All Star Game considerations.

He moved on to play with the (soon-to- be Washington Nationals) Montreal Expos in 2005, hitting 12 home runs and 66 RBIs in 142 games. He finished second among third basemen in fielding average, with .970. In 2006, he played 72 games for the San Diego Padres before being released. He then signed with the Rockies for a third time to finish his career in Colorado. His last home run with the Rockies came on September 9, 2006 giving him a total of 239, good for 3rd all time in franchise history.

Always a fan favorite in Colorado, Castilla was the last player to retire from the original 1993 Colorado roster. As of 2017 he is the all-time home run leader among Mexican-born players (320). He won three Silver Slugger Awards ('95, '97 and '98) and was selected twice to the All Star Game. He hit 30+ home runs six times (including three 40-homer seasons) and drove in 100+ runs five times. At the peak of his career (1995 to 1999) he averaged 38 home runs and 112 RBIs. In post season play he finished with a .350 average (21 of 60) in 17 games, with 5 homers and 12 RBIs. He played in 16 seasons for six different clubs, and averaged 165 hits, 28 home runs and 97 RBIs for every 162 games played.

Many analysts attributed Castilla's great offensive numbers to the hitter-friendly Denver stadiums, however, 57% of his career Home Runs came in parks other than Mile High and Coors Field (181 out of 320)

Post-playing career

He decided to retire after the Caribbean Series on February 7, 2007, becoming a special assistant to Rockies GM Dan O'Dowd.

In 2007, he was named manager of the Mexico baseball team for the Pan American Games, and also served as manager in the 2009 World Baseball Classic. In 2008, he was a player-manager for the Naranjeros de Hermosillo in the Mexican Pacific League.

Castilla and his wife, Samantha, have 3 sons, Vinicio Jr., Daulton and Cristian.