Santiago Casilla, Relief Pitcher

Date of Birth: 7/25/1980
Birthplace: San Cristobal, Dominican Republic

Santiago Casilla, relief pitcher, was first signed by the Oakland Athletics under the name of Jairo Garcia. He continued to play under that name until 2006, when he admitted that he falsified his name and age on documents.

Casilla pitched in the Athletics' minor league system from 2001 through 2006, joining the Athletics for four games in 2004, three games in 2005, and two games in 2006. In 2007, he pitched 50.2 innings in 46 games with the Athletics and he finished the season with a 3-1 record, 2 saves, and a 4.44 ERA. He had slightly better numbers in 2008, when he had a 2-1 record, 2 saves, and a 3.93 ERA in 50.1 innings in 51 games. He struggled in 2009, finishing with a 5.96 ERA in 46 games.

Casilla signed with the San Francisco Giants in January, 2010. In his first season with the Giants, he had a 1.95 ERA with a career high 56 strikeouts (to 26 walks) in 55.1 innings in 52 games. The following season, he became the Giants' closer in August. He finished the 2011 season with six saves and a 1.74 ERA in 49 games.

Casilla had a strong season as the Giants' closer in 2012. He had career highs in games played (73), innings pitched (63.1), and saves (25). He finished the season with a 2.84 ERA. In December, 2012, he signed a three-year, $15 million contract with the Giants.

In 2013, Casilla had another good season, with a 2.16 ERA in 57 games. His playing time as the Giants' closer was limited that season due to knee surgery. He returned to the closer position in 2014, finishing the season with a career low ERA of 1.70 and 19 saves in 58.1 innings in 54 games.

Casilla pitched in 67 games with the Giants in 2015. He finished the season with 38 saves, 62 strikeouts to 23 walks, and a 2.79 ERA in 58.0 innings in 67 games.

Casilla finished the 2016 season with a 3.57 ERA in 62 games. He had 2 wins to 5 losses, 31 saves, and 65 strikeouts to 19 walks in 58.0 innings. In the postseason, he pitched 0.2 innings in 1 game and he gave up 2 hits and no runs.

Casilla became a free agent on November 3, 2016. He returned to the Athletics on a two-year, $11 million contract on January 20, 2017. He finished the 2017 season with 4 wins and 5 losses, 16 saves, 57 strikeouts to 22 walks, and a 4.27 ERA in 59.0 innings in 63 games.

The Athletics released Casilla on July 19, 2018. He signed a minor league contract with the Colorado Rockies on July 28th. He spent part of the 2018 season on the DL with a right shoulder strain. He played in 26 games with the Athletics and 13 games in the minors.

Casilla became a free agent on November 2, 2018. He hasn't played professional baseball since 2018.

Career pitching statistics for Casilla through 2017 include:

• 655 games played
• 645.1 innings pitched
• 42-31 win-loss record
• 144 saves
• 583 strikeouts to 277 walks
• 3.29 ERA

Sources for Information
Wikipedia - Santiago Casilla
ESPN - Santiago Casilla