Vinny Castilla
Born: 7/4/1967 in Oaxaca, Oaxaca, Mexico
MLB Debut: 1991-09-01 | Final Game: 2006-09-28
Bats: R | Throws: R | Height: 6'1" | Weight: 175 lbs
Full name: Vinicio Castilla
Biography
Vinny Castilla, born in 1967, was a prominent figure in Major League Baseball during his career from 1991 to 2006. Known for his powerful hitting and steady glove at third base, Castilla played a total of 1,854 games, amassing 1,884 hits, including 320 home runs and 1,105 RBIs, while maintaining a career batting average of .276. His offensive contributions often placed him at the center of some of the most competitive lineups in the MLB, particularly during his time with the Colorado Rockies, where he became a fan favorite and a key member of the team's early success in the late 1990s.
A two-time All-Star, Castilla was recognized for his ability to drive in runs and his consistency at the plate. His career included a notable era of offensive explosion in baseball, often referred to as the "steroid era," where power-hitting became increasingly significant. Castilla also showcased his versatility, contributing 33 stolen bases throughout his career, which added an additional dimension to his playing style. After retiring, he remained involved in the game, transitioning into coaching and leaving a lasting legacy as one of the notable Latin American players in the history of the sport.
Career Batting Statistics
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1854 | 6822 | 902 | 1884 | 349 | 28 | 320 | 1105 | 33 | 423 | 1069 | 0.276 | 0.321 | 0.476 | 0.797 | 5807.8 |
Season-by-Season Batting
| Year | Team | Lg | G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1991 | ATL | NL | 12 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0.200 | 0.0 |
| 1992 | ATL | NL | 9 | 16 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 0.250 | 0.0 |
| 1993 | COL | NL | 105 | 337 | 36 | 86 | 9 | 7 | 9 | 30 | 2 | 13 | 45 | 0.255 | -599.0 |
| 1994 | COL | NL | 52 | 130 | 16 | 43 | 11 | 1 | 3 | 18 | 2 | 7 | 23 | 0.331 | 238.7 |
| 1995 | COL | NL | 139 | 527 | 82 | 163 | 34 | 2 | 32 | 90 | 2 | 30 | 87 | 0.309 | 2009.2 |
| 1996 | COL | NL | 160 | 629 | 97 | 191 | 34 | 0 | 40 | 113 | 7 | 35 | 88 | 0.304 | 2006.9 |
| 1997 | COL | NL | 159 | 612 | 94 | 186 | 25 | 2 | 40 | 113 | 2 | 44 | 108 | 0.304 | 2441.7 |
| 1998 | COL | NL | 162 | 645 | 108 | 206 | 28 | 4 | 46 | 144 | 5 | 40 | 89 | 0.319 | 3348.2 |
| 1999 | COL | NL | 158 | 615 | 83 | 169 | 24 | 1 | 33 | 102 | 2 | 53 | 75 | 0.275 | 410.4 |
| 2000 | TBR | AL | 85 | 331 | 22 | 73 | 9 | 1 | 6 | 42 | 1 | 14 | 41 | 0.221 | -1929.6 |
| 2001 | HOU | NL | 122 | 445 | 62 | 120 | 28 | 1 | 23 | 82 | 1 | 32 | 86 | 0.270 | 509.1 |
| 2001 | TBR | AL | 24 | 93 | 7 | 20 | 6 | 0 | 2 | 9 | 0 | 3 | 22 | 0.215 | 509.1 |
| 2002 | ATL | NL | 143 | 543 | 56 | 126 | 23 | 2 | 12 | 61 | 4 | 22 | 69 | 0.232 | -2119.8 |
| 2003 | ATL | NL | 147 | 542 | 65 | 150 | 28 | 3 | 22 | 76 | 1 | 26 | 86 | 0.277 | 51.2 |
| 2004 | COL | NL | 148 | 583 | 93 | 158 | 43 | 3 | 35 | 131 | 0 | 51 | 113 | 0.271 | 1449.1 |
| 2005 | WAS | NL | 142 | 494 | 53 | 125 | 36 | 1 | 12 | 66 | 4 | 43 | 82 | 0.253 | -394.3 |
| 2006 | COL | NL | 15 | 21 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0.190 | 0.0 |
| 2006 | SDP | NL | 72 | 254 | 24 | 59 | 10 | 0 | 4 | 23 | 0 | 9 | 46 | 0.232 | 0.0 |
Postseason Statistics
Playoff Career Batting
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 17 | 60 | 9 | 21 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 12 | 5 | 12 | 0.350 |
Playoff Batting by Year
| Year | Round | Team | G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | NLDS2 | ATL | 5 | 16 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 6 | 0.250 |
| 2002 | NLDS1 | ATL | 5 | 18 | 5 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0.389 |
| 2001 | NLDS1 | HOU | 3 | 11 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0.273 |
| 1995 | NLDS1 | COL | 4 | 15 | 3 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 0.467 |
Fielding Statistics
Career Fielding Totals by Position
| Position | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1B | 9 | 3 | 31 | 2 | 0 | 5 |
| 2B | 14 | 12 | 28 | 28 | 1 | 10 |
| 3B | 1656 | 1627 | 1156 | 3261 | 161 | 331 |
| SS | 147 | 110 | 174 | 341 | 12 | 80 |
Season-by-Season Fielding
| Year | Team | Pos | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1991 | ATL | SS | 12 | 1 | 6 | 6 | 0 | 0 |
| 1992 | ATL | 3B | 4 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 1 | 0 |
| 1992 | ATL | SS | 4 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 1 |
| 1993 | COL | SS | 104 | 92 | 141 | 282 | 11 | 67 |
| 1994 | COL | 1B | 2 | 2 | 12 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| 1994 | COL | 2B | 14 | 12 | 28 | 28 | 1 | 10 |
| 1994 | COL | 3B | 9 | 6 | 3 | 11 | 0 | 0 |
| 1994 | COL | SS | 18 | 13 | 24 | 37 | 1 | 11 |
| 1995 | COL | 3B | 137 | 133 | 84 | 256 | 15 | 21 |
| 1995 | COL | SS | 5 | 4 | 2 | 8 | 0 | 1 |
| 1996 | COL | 3B | 160 | 157 | 97 | 389 | 20 | 43 |
| 1997 | COL | 3B | 157 | 155 | 112 | 323 | 21 | 41 |
| 1998 | COL | 3B | 162 | 162 | 110 | 316 | 13 | 39 |
| 1998 | COL | SS | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1999 | COL | 3B | 157 | 155 | 96 | 298 | 19 | 32 |
| 2000 | TBA | 3B | 83 | 83 | 50 | 185 | 8 | 20 |
| 2001 | HOU | 3B | 121 | 119 | 82 | 230 | 12 | 18 |
| 2001 | HOU | SS | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 2001 | TBA | 3B | 24 | 24 | 26 | 45 | 5 | 5 |
| 2002 | ATL | 3B | 139 | 138 | 75 | 256 | 6 | 23 |
| 2003 | ATL | 3B | 147 | 144 | 98 | 307 | 19 | 28 |
| 2004 | COL | 3B | 148 | 147 | 124 | 316 | 6 | 30 |
| 2005 | WAS | 3B | 138 | 135 | 142 | 209 | 11 | 23 |
| 2006 | COL | 1B | 7 | 1 | 19 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| 2006 | COL | 3B | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| 2006 | SDN | 3B | 69 | 65 | 54 | 112 | 5 | 8 |
Career Games by Position
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| First Base | 9 |
| Second Base | 14 |
| Third Base | 1656 |
| Shortstop | 147 |
Awards & Honors
| Year | Award | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 2004 | Player of the Week | Week of 2004-07-24 |
| 1998 | Silver Slugger | 3B |
| 1998 | TSN All-Star | 3B |
| 1997 | Player of the Week | Week of 1997-04-12 |
| 1997 | Silver Slugger | 3B |
| 1997 | TSN All-Star | 3B |
| 1996 | Player of the Week | Week of 1996-06-15 |
| 1995 | Player of the Week | Week of 1995-05-13 |
| 1995 | Silver Slugger | 3B |
| 1995 | TSN All-Star | 3B |
Salary History
| Year | Team | League | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | SDN | NL | $3,200,000 |
| 2005 | WAS | NL | $3,000,000 |
| 2004 | COL | NL | $2,100,000 |
| 2003 | ATL | NL | $5,000,000 |
| 2002 | ATL | NL | $3,000,000 |
| 2001 | TBA | AL | $7,250,000 |
| 2000 | TBA | AL | $6,250,000 |
| 1999 | COL | NL | $6,000,000 |
| 1998 | COL | NL | $5,025,000 |
| 1997 | COL | NL | $2,225,000 |
| 1996 | COL | NL | $1,200,000 |
| 1995 | COL | NL | $265,000 |
| 1994 | COL | NL | $192,500 |
| 1993 | COL | NL | $120,000 |
| 1992 | ATL | NL | $109,000 |
| Total Career Earnings | $44,936,500 | ||
Award Voting History
| Year | Award | League | Finish | Points Won | Points Max | Votes First |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | Most Valuable Player | NL | 23th | 3.0 | 448 | 0 |
| 1998 | Most Valuable Player | NL | 11th | 49.0 | 448 | 0 |
| 1997 | Most Valuable Player | NL | 22th | 3.0 | 392 | 0 |
| 1995 | Most Valuable Player | NL | 18th | 3.0 | 392 | 0 |