SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — There was a heavy rooting interest in Vinny Castilla in the Rockies’ weight training room Wednesday morning at Salt River. The Rockies’ coach and former star third baseman for the franchise faced off against farm director Zach Wilson in a ping pong tournament.
Players were hanging over the balconies and a mariachi band played through timeouts as the left-handed Wilson, with a two-handed backhand, topped Castilla in two straight sets. The ping pong tournament, a team-building exercise organized by manager Bud Black, ended after weeks of whittling down the finalists.
“There was a huge sentiment pulling for Vinny,” Black said.