Florida / Miami Marlins All-Time Top 10 Players

4. Luis Castillo (22.4)

The first incarnation of a fellow named Luis Castillo who played for the Marlins system was this guy, a five-foot-11, 145 lb. switch hitter from San Pedro de Macoris, DR. The Marlins signed Castillo before they had even taken the field for a major league game, in 1992.

Castillo made his pro debut in 1994 with the GCL Marlins, in the Rookie-level Gulf Coast League. He made his way up to the majors for his first look in 1996, when he hit .262 in 41 contests. Always a speedy guy while with the club, he stole 17 bases in 21 attempts as a rookie, portending later dominance on the basepaths.

For his first three major league seasons, Castillo split his years between the Marlins and their minor league system. From his debut through the 1998 campaign, he hit just .236 in 160 games, stealing 36 bases and getting caught 14 times. Castillo only played at second base, and never appeared anywhere else through his 15 major league seasons. He eventually played 1,683 games at second base.

1999 would represent Castillo’s coming out party. He hit .302 in 128 games for the Marlins, stealing 50 bases in 67 attempts. In 2000, he hit a career-best .334 in 136 contests, and led the majors with 62 stolen bases.

After hitting just .263 in 2001, Castillo rebounded to hit .305 the following year, making the all-star team for the first time. He again led the majors in stolen bases, with 48. His 281 stolen bases remain a Marlins record.

2003 would see Castillo return to the All Star game, and win his first Gold Glove for his work at second base. He hit .314 with 39 RBI in 152 games, ranking second on the team with 99 runs scored and with 21 stolen bases. Castillo later went 15-for-71 in 17 games in the playoffs, helping drive Florida to their second World Series Championship.

In 2004, Castillo won his second Gold Glove in 150 games for the Marlins, hitting .291 with a .383 OBP and 25 stolen bases in 29 attempts. For the second time in his career, he drew more walks than he struck out, 75-to-68 respectively.

2005 would be Castillo’s last season with the Marlins, a season in which he made the all-star team and won another Gold Glove, both for the third time. Limited by injury to 122 contests, he hit .301 and drew 65 walks while striking out less than half of that, 32 times. After the season, Castillo was traded to the Minnesota Twins for Scott Tyler and Travis Bowyer.

Castillo played a season-and-a-half for the Twins, then played for the New York Mets for three-and-a-half years.