Alexi Casilla

Alexi Casilla
Casilla in the batting cage
Minnesota Twins – No. 12
Infielder
Born: July 20, 1984 (1984-07-20) San Cristóbal, Dominican Republic
Bats: Switch	Throws: Right
MLB debut
September 1, 2006 for the Minnesota Twins
Career statistics (through 2011 season)
Batting average	.252
Home runs	10
Runs batted in	117
Stolen bases	50
Teams
Minnesota Twins (2006–present)
Career highlights and awards
Charles O. Johnson Award (Most Improved Twin) (2008) Led AL in Sacrifice Hits (2008)

Alexi Casilla Lora (born July 20, 1984 in San Cristobal, Dominican Republic) is a Major League Baseball infielder for the Minnesota Twins.

Professional career

Casilla at-bat in a spring training game

Casilla was signed as a free agent by the Los Angeles Angels in 2003. On December 9, 2005, the Angels traded Casilla to the Minnesota Twins for pitcher J.C. Romero. Casilla made his major league debut with the Twins in September of 2006, playing in 9 games.

In 2007, after a brief callup with the Twins, Casilla became the every-day second baseman after Luis Castillo was traded to the New York Mets. Casilla struggled, producing a .222 batting average with no home runs in 189 at-bats.

In 2008, Casilla did not make the Twins opening day roster and instead started for the Twins Triple-A affiliate, the Rochester Red Wings. After an injury to infielder Nick Punto, Casilla was called up in May. On May 19, 2008, Casilla hit a three-run homer, his first career MLB home run against Texas Rangers. It was also his first hit of the 2008 season. Casilla spent the rest of the 2008 season as the Twins' starting second baseman and second hitter in the lineup.

At the end of the 2008 season, he was batting .281 with 7 home runs and 50 RBI.

Casilla struggled to begin the 2009 season. After hitting only .167 in his first 84 at-bats, he was optioned to Triple-A Rochester. He was recalled and had a .202 AVG, .280 OBP, and a .259 SLG. He had the most at-bats without a home run in the AL.

In 2009, during the 2009 AL Central tie-breaker game featuring the Twins against the Detroit Tigers, Casilla became the unlikely hero, hitting a game-winning walk-off single to score Carlos Gomez from second base in the bottom of the 12th inning.

Prior to the 2010 season, Casilla changed his number from 25 to 12, giving number 25 to Jim Thome, who has worn the number for almost his entire 20-year career.

For most of the 2011 season, Casilla switched between second base and shortstop, sometimes filling in for Tsuyoshi Nishioka, who was injured for the first two months of the season.

External links

• Career statistics and player information from MLB, or ESPN, or Baseball-Reference, or Fangraphs, or The Baseball Cube, or Baseball-Reference (Minors)