In a 15-year professional career, he appeared in 213 La Liga games over the course of eight seasons (three goals), mainly representing Racing de Santander.
Born in Murillo de Río Leza, La Rioja, Pinillos played professionally for modest clubs in his early years, working as a bricklayer before arriving at Segunda División B team Pontevedra CF in 1996, eight hours a day.
[2] After an uneventful two-year stint with Deportivo de La Coruña, he moved to Segunda División sides CD Toledo, SD Compostela and Levante UD, achieving La Liga promotion at the end of the 2003–04 season with the latter.
There, he was an undisputed defensive starter and one of the team's captains,[4] being instrumental in their 2007–08 historic qualification to the UEFA Cup – 32 matches, 2,716 minutes.
[5] In the following campaign, the 34-year-old Pinillos played 29 league games plus three in the continental competition, as Racing finished in 12th position.