It's one of the rarest feats in baseball for a player to appear at all nine positions over the course of a game. After all, what circumstance would cause a player to pitch and catch in the same game, let alone do that on top of playing every position on the infield and outfield? However, former SF Giants prospect Ali Castillo did exactly that on Wednesday for the Phillies Triple-A affiliate, the Lehigh Valley IronPigs.
The history-making feat was likely pre-planned by Castillo and the coaching staff. Only five players have ever played all five positions in an MLB game, although the number who have done so in the minor leagues is unknown.
Castillo started at second base, his primary position throughout his career, before swapping position with shortstop Scott Kingery in the second. He swapped with third baseman Will Toffey (another former Giants minor leaguer) in the third inning before moving to center field in the fourth. In the subsequent innings, Castillo moved to right field, left field, and first base before moving to catcher for the first time in his 12-year minor-league career. Finally, with Lehigh Valley leading 4-3 in the bottom of the ninth inning, Castillo moved back to center field before taking the mound with two outs and the tying run on first base. He induced a game-ending groundout from Mets prospect Carlos Rincon to finish the game.
Castillo not only appeared at all nine positions, he also went 1-for-4 with a double and run scored at the plate, and recorded a save on the mound. Quite a memorable day for the minor-league journeyman. On the season, Castillo has appeared in 103 games with the Phillies Double-A and Triple-A affiliates. He is hitting .264/.317/.304 with 14 doubles.
Castillo began his professional career in the Yankees organization in 2009, where he climbed their minor-league ranks until he became a free agent after the 2015 season. The native of Maracaibo, Venezuela eventually caught on with the Giants organization for the next three years before bouncing between the Phillies organization in 2019, Nationals farm system in 2021, and back to the Phillies system this season.
During his time with the Giants, Castillo primarily played with the Richmond Flying Squirrels at Double-A, although he did have several stints at Triple-A. 2016 was easily his best season in the SF Giants organization, hitting .313/.351/.374 between Double-A and Triple-A, hitting posting a batting average above .300 at both stops.
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