Vinny Castilla, beloved Colorado Rockies third baseman and now special assistant to the general manager, will see his great service to the Rockies organization and the state of Colorado rewarded in April as he will be inducted into the 2016 class of the Colorado Sports Hall of Fame, the organization announced on Tuesday.
Joining Castilla of the Colorado Rockies are Milan Hejduk of the Colorado Avalanche and Ralph Simpson of the Denver Nuggets along with Rhonda Blanford-Green, Jim Danley and Jim Toupal.
Castilla was a member of the inaugural Rockies team and the last active player from the Rockies’ inaugural season in 1993 at the time of his retirement. The Mexican-born third baseman played 16 years in the major leagues with six different clubs, compiling a .276 career batting average, 320 home runs and 1,105 RBI.
An All-Star in 1995 and ’98 with the Rockies, Castilla played nine seasons in Colorado (1993-1999, 2004, 2006) where he batted .294 with 239 home runs and 745 runs-batted-in. Castilla hit 40+ home runs in both the 1996, ’97 and ’98.
One of the cornerstone members of the “Blake Street Bombers,” Castilla was arguably the greatest pure fastball hitter of the late ’90s. For three consecutive years, 1995, ’96 and ’97, Castilla and the Rockies led the National League in runs scored and home runs.
Castilla had five 100-plus RBI campaigns with the Rockies and he led the National League with 131 RBI in 2004. He helped to lead the Rockies to their first-ever playoff appearance in 1995 and remains in the top 10 in more than a dozen offensive categories. He is third all-time for the franchise in games played, home runs and plate appearances and second all-time in at-bats.
Upon retirement, Castilla stayed in baseball in front office roles with the Rockies and coaching the Mexican national team. He coached Mexico in both the Pan Am Games and the World Baseball Classic.
The 52nd annual Colorado Sports Hall of Fame induction banquet will take place April 19, 2016 at the Denver Marriott City Center.
