Luis Castillo

Luis Antonio Castillo, born September 12, 1975, is a former professional second baseman from the Dominican Republic who played in Major League Baseball from 1996 to 2010 for the Florida Marlins, New York Mets, and Minnesota Twins. A three-time All-Star and three-time Gold Glove winner, he won the World Series with the Marlins in 1997 and 2003, though he did not appear in the 1997 series. Castillo is the only player to have been with the Marlins for both championship seasons without being traded between them (Jeff Conine also played on both teams but was traded after 1997 and returned in 2003). He holds Marlins franchise records for games played (1,128) and hits (1,273), and is one of just two players to appear in 1,000 games for the team, the other being Conine.

Castillo began his professional career after signing with the Marlins as a non-drafted free agent on August 19, 1992. In 1994, he played his first season in the Gulf Coast League with the Gulf Coast Marlins, setting a short-season franchise record with 31 stolen bases. The following year, he played for the Class-A Kane County Cougars in the Midwest League, earning an All-Star selection before a shoulder injury in July ended his season. He led the entire Marlins organization in batting average (.326) and finished second in stolen bases that year.

He spent most of 1996 in the Eastern League but was called up to the Marlins mid-season, making his major league debut on August 8. His first hit was a game-winning RBI in the 10th inning against the New York Mets. He was named to the Eastern League All-Star and post-season All-Star teams.

In 1997, Castillo became the Marlins' full-time second baseman. At age 21, he and shortstop Édgar Rentería formed the youngest middle infield in National League history. A bruised left heel sidelined him for all of May, and he was optioned to Triple-A Charlotte on July 28, missing the 1997 World Series. He stayed with Charlotte until being recalled on August 4, 1998, during which he had a 32-game on-base streak. With the Marlins that season, his longest hitting streak was eight games, and he finished with a .203 average, three stolen bases, and 10 RBIs.

Castillo improved in 1999, posting several hitting streaks, including a 22-game stretch from August 9 to September 3. He finished fourth in the National League in stolen bases and fourth among leadoff hitters in on-base percentage (.385), earning the Marlins' Most Valuable Player award from the South Florida chapter of the Baseball Writers' Association of America.

In 2000, he began with a seven-game hitting streak but soon landed on the disabled list with a strained back. After returning, he set a single-game team record with four stolen bases on May 17, then added three the next game, falling short of the National League record of eight in two games set by Walt Wilmot in 1894. On June 20, he became the Marlins' all-time stolen base leader with his 116th career steal. He led the majors with 62 stolen bases that season.

In 2001, Castillo had hitting streaks of eight and 14 games, finishing fifth in the league with 33 stolen bases, a .263 average, 45 RBIs, and a career-high 10 triples. In 2002, he had a 35-game hitting streak, the longest ever by a second baseman (later matched by Chase Utley in 2006), and the sixth-longest in National League history. He played in his first All-Star Game that year, hit .305 with 39 RBIs, and led the league in stolen bases (48) for the second time, again winning the Marlins' MVP award.

Castillo made his second All-Star appearance in 2003, led the Marlins in hitting, and won his first Gold Glove. He was central to the NLCS Game 6 comeback against the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field, after a foul ball he hit was deflected away from Cubs outfielder Moisés Alou by fan Steve Bartman. The Marlins won that game and Game 7, then defeated the New York Yankees in the World Series—Castillo’s second championship and first in which he played.

In 2004, he posted a .291 average with a career-best 47 RBIs, two home runs, and seven triples. He was second on the Marlins in on-base percentage (.373) and set a franchise record with his 425th career walk, surpassing Gary Sheffield’s mark of 424. He won his second straight Gold Glove and had the second-best fielding percentage among National League second basemen (.991), behind Philadelphia’s Plácido Polanco.

In his final season with the Marlins, Castillo won his third Gold Glove.