In mid-February, Vinny Castilla rolled into spring training in his black Rolls Royce, complete with silver-rimmed wheels and an engine that roared.

“Yeah, I have some cars. I love my cars,” said Castilla, a Rockies original and a charter member of the Blake Street Bombers, circa 1995-1998.

Castilla, 49, owns a yellow Lamborghini, a red Ferrari, a white Porsche and a Range Rover. When it’s raining or snowing outside, he’ll usually drive to Coors Field in his Porsche. Think of it as his commuter car.

While other members of the Blake St. Bombers — Andres Galarraga, Dante Bichette, Larry Walker and Ellis Burks — have all come and gone, Castilla has remained an essential member of the Rockies family. His official title is special assistant to the general manager, a position he’s held for 10 years.

But he’s much more than that.

“He’s been here forever and he’s amazing,” said all-star third baseman Nolan Arenado. “Vinny brings energy every day and he brings happiness, if you want to put it that way. When you are down, he’s always there for you. He always brings positive energy to the ballpark. I’ve never seen Vinny down or bummed out. I mean, he’s great at trash talking, but it’s all in fun. He’s awesome.”

Think of Castilla as a live-wire conduit between the front office and the players, lending his expertise where needed. The former third baseman can often be found in the home clubhouse yakking it up with Carlos Gonzalez and many of the other Latin players. Related Articles May 13, 2017 Rockies’ most loyal fan is a homeless ex-con who lives in an abandoned batting cage

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Castilla played in nine of his 16 seasons with the Rockies, totaling 1,098 games, a .294 batting average with 239 home runs and 745 RBIs. He slugged 40 homers in the 1996 and 1997 seasons and was a two-time all-star.

Asked what he thinks he’s meant to the organization, Castilla deflected the question. “You’ll have to ask somebody else, I don’t really like to talk about myself,” he said.

But when asked what the Rockies have meant to him, Castilla revved up like his Lamborghini Murcielago.

“This team picked me in the expansion draft in 1992 and gave me my first real, honest opportunity to play at this level,” said Castilla, a native of Oaxaca, Mexico. “I played for other organizations, but the purple stripes have always felt better on my body.”