Heading into the 2022 season the Philadelphia Phillies had loaded up their roster in an effort to make the playoffs for the first time since 2011.
In that off-season, they added multiple players but the acquisition of Kyle Schwarber headlined their class. That was until the team decided to keep spending and would soon land Nick Castellanos just days later. This momentum helped shift the Phillies into the post-season and an NL Pennant.
Nick Castellanos has been a key contributor to one of the best stretches in Phillies franchise history. Castellanos is known for his streakiness but when he is hot, he can carry the club like any other. The 2023 All-Star has shined bright on some of the game’s biggest stages. At other times he has faltered.
After a slow start, Castellanos is playing like an All-Star once again. Digging himself out of a tremendous early-season slump, he has provided consistency in a time of injury and cold streaks for the Phils. He has returned back to the hitter of old, but the question remains if he can sustain this positive momentum.
Fighting fire with fire
Being able to hit five homeruns across three consecutive playoff games seems quite the accomplishment for any Major League Baseball player. Carrying the Phillies’ offense in a series-clinching win over the Atlanta Braves in the 2023 NLDS and hitting a home run in Game One of the NLCS is exactly what the Phillies hoped for when signing their right fielder.
Then of course comes the following six games of the NLCS. Nick went 0/20 in 23 plate appearances, only reaching base on a pair of walks for the remainder of the series. As we know, the Phillies’ bats were cold in the biggest two games of their season, leading to the loss at home against Arizona.
The same player who had just been unstoppable had seemingly been stopped. This was not just the case with Castellanos, as many other high-profile players suffered the same fate. Due to his streaky nature, the Phillies’ right fielder often receives criticism quicker than other members of the Phillies’ lineup.
Castellanos’ role
When first signed to Philadelphia, the expectation would be that Nick Castellanos was the starting Designated Hitter for the Phillies. He would hit fourth and sparingly play the field, which was an area of weakness in his game.
Nick started the season in this exact role and it wasn’t until the injury to Bryce Harper that would shake up the entire foundation of the ballclub. Casty would be moved to right field, where he has played almost exclusively since that point in time. In fact, he has played right field in 87% of the Phillies’ games since 2022.
Not known for his outfield, Nick quickly improved his game. He did not record an error in the outfield for his first two seasons in Phillies’ pinstripes. Ironically enough, his play in the outfield began to blossom thanks to shift adjustments made by the Phillies’ coaching staff.
However, Castellanos was not brought to Philadelphia to play stellar defense. He was brought in to hit for a high average and produce with runners in scoring position. He was a doubles machine in every stop of his career and with powerful bats like Schwarber and Harper, it was Nick who the club relied on to bring consistency when those players were cold.
Finding himself offensively
Inconsistency has been the name of the game for most of Nick Castellanos’s tenure in Philly. As previously mentioned, his rollercoaster momentum can shape up for the highest of highs and lowest of lows.
At the end of April, Nick was arguably at his lowest point offensively for the Phillies. Batting .193 with an OPS of .521, it was looking bleak. Rob Thomson stuck with Castellanos and kept his bat in the lineup. At the end of May, he had raised his batting average to .210 and his OPS to .610. He kept working and by the end of June, those numbers had risen to .231 and .675 respectively. With the conclusion of July, Nick’s BA sits at .241 and his OPS rests at .700.
With steady improvement, his standing in the Phils’ lineup has become more and more important. While other players have cooled off from hot starts, Nick has been continuing to rise. His counting stats like doubles and homeruns will be hampered by his slow start but his overall numbers are at a solid pace to end the season. With two months remaining in the 2024 season, a hot week or two can boost his stats.
However, if you ask Nick, he does not care what the back of his baseball card looks like. He is focused on victory and winning a World Series. Anything that happens in between getting that goal accomplished can be looked at as icing on the cake.
Has Castellanos returned to form?
The answer to this question lies within one person. That person is Nick Castellanos.
As his performance continues to rise, the Phillies will look to their right fielder to provide stability in their lineup. Clutch hitting, extra-base hits, and strong defense in the outfield. If the Phillies can get the version of Nick Castellanos they signed for in the 2022 off-season, their lineup will get that much deeper.
As Bryce Harper said, the superstars must “show up.” Nick Castellanos is considered to be one of those stars and if he can shine bright, the Phillies will get exactly where they need to be.
Photo Credits: (Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports)
