EL1 Reading Fightin Phils

Casillas' Rise through the Ranks is Phenomenal

Published on May 7, 2003 under Eastern League (EL1)
Reading Fightin Phils News Release


By Tony Zonca

Uriel Casillas has never been a star, never been one of those can't-miss phenoms. Phenoms get to hit every day, even if they're mess-the-bed awful for a week. The Uriel Casillases of the world feel fortunate if they get to clean up that mess once in a while.

Casillas, about three months shy of his 28th birthday, pulls the uniform on each day because he still is playing connect-the-dots with the dream of making it to The Show. It is what motivates him and others of his ilk - the utility infielder.

Utility infielder. It is at once a blessing and a curse. It is a blessing because the utility infielder can play a lot of positions. It keeps him in the game and saves the organization money. It is a curse because the utility infielder doesn't have a real position to call his own.

Only once in his six years in pro ball has Casillas had more than 230 at-bats in a season. That was in 2001, his first season with the Reading Phillies. He hit .240. Most of his other numbers were decent, except those 25 errors, but a phenom still might have moved on. "Cassie" is back for his third year with the Reading ballclub.

Actually, he began the year with Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, where he has hit .300 in 10 at-bats. But he was sent back when Anderson Machado went down with an injury. He was promoted again, but because he didn't have a passport, he couldn't get into Ottawa, where the Red Barons were playing at the time. He returned to Reading, where his sacrifice fly in the ninth dealt Harrisburg a loss at FirstEnergy Stadium.

2003 VOICES BASEBALLTOWN YOUTH DAY Presented by Citizens Bank

The Baseballtown Youth Day Run, Pitch and Hit Contest will be held on Saturday, June 7 beginning at 9AM and running throughout the day.

All kids 5-16 are eligible to compete and the whole family is invited to be part of the fun.

Boys and girls in age groups 5-6, 7-8, 9-10, 11-12, 13-14 and 15-16 will compete in three baseball skills events: A timed run from home to first, three balls pitched at a target for accuracy and three balls hit off a tee for distance.

First, second and third place trophies will be awarded for boys and girls in each of the six age groups.

Entry fee is $5.00 per contestant and all proceeds benefit Baseballtown Charities. Entry fee includes two tickets to the Voices Baseballtown High School All-Star Game to played at 7:05 PM the same night. Youth Day Trophies will be presented on the field prior to the All-Star Game.

Pre-registration is required. Please register by calling 610-375-8469.

NOCHE LATINA PLANNED TO START NEXT HOME STAND

The Reading Phillies will be celebrating Reading's rich Latin-American culture on Thursday, May 15 as part of "Noche Latina" at FirstEnergy Stadium. Special pre-game ceremonies will include a historical perspective of Latino players who have spent time in Reading over the years and video highlights of current Latino R-Phils. Also before the game, players of Latin descent from both Reading and visiting Norwich will be given a special introduction.

R-PHILS GAME NOTES ONLINE, A FAN'S PRESS PASS

R-Phils fans can get the same game notes distributed to the media and scouts at R-Phils home games via readingphillies.com.

Reading Phillies game notes are produced as Adobe PDF files for the ultimate in printable quality.

Check out the Reading Fightin Phils Statistics

Share: Facebook | Twitter/X | LinkedIn | Reddit | Email



Eastern League Stories from May 7, 2003


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

OurSports Central