LaTroy, Castilla to manage in Futures Game
DENVER -- LaTroy Hawkins, a key member of the 2007 Rockies team that went to the World Series, and Vinny Castilla, one of the most accomplished and popular players in Rockies history, will serve as the managers for the 2021 SiriusXM All-Star Futures Game on Sunday, July 11, at Coors Field as part of All-Star Sunday.
The managers were revealed on Tuesday on MLB Network. The contest is set for seven innings, beginning at 1 p.m. MT (3 p.m. ET), and it will be televised exclusively on MLB Network and simulcast on MLB.com. The Futures Game will be followed by the All-Star Celebrity Softball Game at Coors Field.
Castilla, a two-time All-Star and three-time Silver Slugger Award winner, will manage the National League Futures team. He played 16 seasons in the Majors -- mostly with the Rockies in three stints (1993-99, 2004, 2006) -- and he remains the Major Leagues’ all-time home runs leader among Mexican-born players (320 in 1,854 games). Castilla is in his 14th season as a Rockies special assistant to the general manager.
Forever remembered as part of the “Blake Street Bombers" lineups from the mid-to-late 1990s and revered for his smile and ambassadorial personae, Castilla also managed Mexico’s national team in the 2007 Pan American Games and the '09 World Baseball Classic.
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Hawkins will manage the American League Futures team. The 21-year veteran pitched for 11 teams, including two stints with the Rockies (2007, 2014-15). Hawkins, who spent the first nine seasons of his career with the Twins, is with Minnesota as a special assistant in baseball operations, and he's also an analyst on Bally Sports North for select Twins home games.
Hawkins appeared in at least 60 games in 10 different seasons and ranks 10th in MLB history with 1,042 career games pitched. He became one of 13 pitchers in history to record a save against all 30 teams when he closed a Blue Jays win over the Twins in 2015.
This will be the 22nd installment of the Futures Game, which began operating under the NL-AL format in 2019 after previously featuring a U.S.-vs.-World system. The remainder of the coaching staffs, as well as rosters and umpires, will be announced in the coming weeks.