Rockies Stars Vinny Castilla, Ubaldo Jimenez Suit up for Savannah Bananas

The Savannah Bananas sold out Coors Field on Saturday night and two Colorado Rockies legends suited up for the team.

May 23, 2023; Denver, Colorado, USA; Colorado Rockies special assistant coach Vinny Castilla reacts during the sixth inning against the Miami Marlins at Coors Field. / Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

When the Savannah Bananas come to town, there are always special guests.

The barnstorming professional team that plays “Banana Ball” made a stop at Coors Field on Saturday night, with the Rockies out of town to face Arizona.

Whenever Savannah plays at an MLB park, the Bananas try to incorporate players and figures that are connected to the franchise. Last weekend in Baltimore it was former manager Buck Showalter and former star Adam Jones.

So, the question going into Saturday’s game was which Rockies legend would be the “golden batter.”

Rockies fans got two special guests for the price of one.

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Vinny Castilla and Ubaldo Jimenez Return

#Rockies Vinny Castilla took an at-bat for the Bananas, but he grounded out. pic.twitter.com/th7QvhvprG

— Patrick Saunders (@psaundersdp) August 10, 2025

The Bananas has two special guests for the game, both with deep connections to the Rockies.

One was former slugger Vinny Castilla, one of the original players on the 1993 expansion team. He was the Bananas’ golden batter, a hitter that can hit at any point in the game.

Castilla ended up grounding into a double play.

Vinny Castilla just took an at bat with @TheSavBananas!!

It turned into a double trick play ground out! pic.twitter.com/cVAoObbVKc

— Banana Breakdown (@BreakdownBanana) August 10, 2025

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Jimenez, who was a Rockies starter for six years, put on a Bananas jersey and came in to pitch to one hitter. He recorded an out.

Ubaldo Jiménez just came out of retirement and got the final out for the Savannah Bananas. Might need a 1-day with the @Rockies now. @KOAColorado pic.twitter.com/Ga4hfq3l5b

— Kienan Dixon (@KienanDixon16) August 10, 2025

With the Bananas bringing their entertaining brand of baseball to Colorado, it was easy to incorporate franchise legends into the contest.

About Vinny Castilla

The Saltillo, Mexico, native was originally signed by the Atlanta Braves as an international free agent in 1990. The Rockies selected him as the No. 40 pick in the 1992 expansion draft.

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The original Rockies star spent nine years with the franchise — from 1993-99 and again in 2006. He slashed .294/.340/.530 with 239 home runs and 745 RBI for Colorado. He was an NL Silver Slugger three times, an NL All-Star twice and finished in the Top 22 of NL MVP voting three times.

He played 17 years in the Majors and had stops with Tampa Bay, Washington, Houston and San Diego. He batted .276 lifetime with 320 home runs and 1,105 RBI.

About Ubaldo Jimenez

Signed by the Rockies as an international free agent out of the Dominican Republic, he made his MLB debut with Colorado in 2006 and played six of his 12 Major League seasons with the team. He was part of Colorado’s first World Series team in 2007.

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He went 56-45 with Colorado, including a 3.66 ERA. His best season was in 2010, when he was an All-Star and finished third in NL Cy Young voting after he went 19-8 with a 2.88 ERA. He also struck out 214.

He also played for Baltimore and Cleveland and finished with a career record of 114-117 with a 4.34 ERA.

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