As the Rockies take on the Astros in the 2024 Mexico City Series this weekend, Vinny Castilla is a legend coming home.
The former Blake Street Bomber, now a special assistant to Rockies general manager Bill Schmidt, is arguably the most famous Mexican-born big league position player in MLB history. He’s also his native country’s most accomplished, as Mexico’s MLB career leader in homers (320), doubles (349), hits (1,884), runs (902) and RBIs (1,105)
“I’m sure Vinny’s going to be treated like the mayor on our trip,” third baseman Ryan McMahon quipped. “Everyone knows he’s beloved back there. We’re ready to see the fans mob the rockstar.”
“Cuz” grew up in Oaxaca, Mexico, about six hours southeast of where the Rockies will play Houston in Mexico City this Saturday and Sunday.
He originally signed with the Braves in early 1990 as a skinny shortstop prospect. As Castilla recalled, the Braves paid his Mexican League club, Saraperos de Saltillo, $25,000 for his rights. Castilla said he got about $6,000 of that.
That was the humble genesis of an MLB career that eventually led to two All-Star nods and three Silver Sluggers with Colorado. Of course, his 16-year big-league career, 13 of which were spent with the Braves and the Rockies, could’ve looked a lot different had Castilla been signed by another club.
Before signing with Atlanta, Castilla had tryouts with a handful of other teams, including the Reds, Dodgers, Rangers and Brewers. But none of those panned out, possibly because the asking price by his Mexican League team was too high.
“To this day, I don’t know if I wasn’t good enough for those teams, or if my Mexican League team was asking too much money for me,” Castilla said. “But I’m grateful for the way everything worked out.”
After debuting for the Braves as a September call-up in 1991, garnering just six plate appearances, Castilla spent most of 1992 in Triple-A. He played in only nine games for Atlanta that season, and at the time, projected as a light-hitting utility infielder.
But when the Braves left him unprotected in the 1992 expansion draft — holding onto current CU football coach Deion Sanders and a few other bubble players instead — Castilla got the first of two big breaks that paved the path to him becoming a Mexican baseball icon. The Rockies selected him with their 20th pick.
Vinny Castilla tags out Luis Gonzalez trying to steal second in 1993. (John Leyba, The Denver Post)
“That was the best thing to happen to me, was to come to Colorado and get a chance to play,” Castilla said.
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In his debut with the Rockies in 1993, Castilla platooned at shortstop with Freddie Benavides. In 1994, he saw action at all four infield positions, including backing up Walt Weiss at shortstop, while also playing in Triple-A. Across those first two seasons in LoDo, Castilla hit just 12 homers in 157 games.
But when 1995 came, everything changed. Castilla broke out with 32 homers as the starting third baseman in a strike-shortened season. He earned his first All-Star nod and first Silver Slugger, and that was the start of him proving himself as one of the best fastball hitters of the 1990s.
“(Original Rockies GM) Bob Gebhard called me after that 1994 season ended with the strike and told me to be ready to play third base,” Castilla recalled. “I played it in instructional league, and then played third base in Mexico in the winter league to get ready. We didn’t sign Charlie Hayes back, and that was my opening. I took advantage of it.”
Castilla, who manages Sultanes de Monterrey in the winter Mexican League, knows it’s going to be a different ambiance at Alfredo Harp Helú Stadium this weekend compared to what Colorado players are used to.
In the first MLB game played in Mexico City last year between the Padres and Giants, the blare of horns and a mariachi band behind home plate provided a soundtrack to a historic offensive output.
The game tied an MLB record with 10 players homering in the stadium at 7,349 feet, an elevation more than 2,000 feet higher than Coors Field. There will be a humidor in use for this weekend’s games, but it’s fair to expect lots of offense along with the energy of a sold-out bandbox crowd of 20,576. The stadium’s left and right field lines are 332 feet, while center is 410 feet.
“It’s going to be louder than the guys are used to,” said right-hander Justin Lawrence, who experienced a raucous international atmosphere when pitching for Panama in the World Baseball Classic in 2023. “I imagine it will be pretty similar to a soccer environment. Games here in the States, there’s noise but it kind of simmers down as the pitches come, unless it’s a big moment.
“Playing in Taiwan last year, it didn’t stop. It was just nine innings straight of noise, so I’m anticipating an environment like that.”
Castilla said he’s “excited to share in these games and moments with my people,” while Rockies manager Bud Black pitched the idea of expanding MLB’s World Tour. Since MLB international games began in 1996 with a Padres-Mets series in Monterrey, the league’s played regular-season games in Australia, Japan, Puerto Rico, England, Mexico and most recently South Korea.
The Rockies previously played a regular-season game at Estadio de Beisbol in Monterrey in the 1999 season opener. Colorado won, 8-2, and Castilla went 4 for 5 with a double and a run scored, much to the delight of the home crowd.
Colorado Rockies infielder Vinny Castilla signs autographs for frantic Mexican fans before the start of baseball’s Opening Day Sunday, April 4, 1999, in Monterrey, Mexico. Mexico’s favorite big leaguer, Castilla was swarmed by fans as soon as he approached the first base line during warm up. The Rockies faced the San Diego Padres in the city’s stadium, Estadio Monterrey. (Jose Luis Magana, The Associated Press)
Those types of moments are why Black describes himself as “pro international” when it comes to putting MLB’s product on a global stage.
“The London Series (in 2019 between the Red Sox and Yankees) was fun, and the Korea experience this year, from what I heard from the people on the Padres and Dodgers, was a good experience,” Black said. “It’s great for baseball, to continue to grow the sport worldwide. I’d love to see (MLB games) played in many more countries than we’ve already played.”
The Rockies travel to Mexico on their off day, Friday, before playing on Saturday (4:05 p.m. MT) and Sunday (2:05 p.m. MT, ESPN). Castilla and former Rockies pitcher Jorge De La Rosa are throwing out the ceremonial first pitches on Sunday.
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