I’ve wanted to be in Nick Castellanos corner from the moment he was signed by the Phillies. I never followed the career of Castellanos when he was with the Detroit Tigers or the Cincinnati Reds. He was a player with me that flew under the radar and he seemed to do well not being a player in a big market city where a lot of his play is under a spotlight, though that isn’t similar to the way it is in Philadelphia.
Embed from Getty ImagesNumbers so far on Castellanos:
| Year | Tm | G | AB | HR | RBI | BA | OBP | SLG | OPS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | DET | 11 | 18 | 0 | 0 | .278 | .278 | .278 | .556 |
| 2014 | DET | 148 | 533 | 11 | 66 | .259 | .306 | .394 | .700 |
| 2015 | DET | 154 | 549 | 15 | 73 | .255 | .303 | .419 | .721 |
| 2016 | DET | 110 | 411 | 18 | 58 | .285 | .331 | .496 | .827 |
| 2017 | DET | 157 | 614 | 26 | 101 | .272 | .320 | .490 | .811 |
| 2018 | DET | 157 | 620 | 23 | 89 | .298 | .354 | .500 | .854 |
| 2019 | TOT | 151 | 615 | 27 | 73 | .289 | .337 | .525 | .863 |
| 2019 | DET | 100 | 403 | 11 | 37 | .273 | .328 | .462 | .790 |
| 2019 | CHC | 51 | 212 | 16 | 36 | .321 | .356 | .646 | 1.002 |
| 2020 | CIN | 60 | 218 | 14 | 34 | .225 | .298 | .486 | .784 |
| 2021 | CIN | 138 | 531 | 34 | 100 | .309 | .362 | .576 | .939 |
| 2022 | PHI | 136 | 524 | 13 | 62 | .263 | .305 | .389 | .694 |
| 10 Y | 10 Y | 1222 | 4633 | 181 | 656 | .276 | .326 | .475 | .801 |
| 162 | 162 | 162 | 614 | 24 | 87 | .276 | .326 | .475 | .801 |
| DET | DET | 837 | 3148 | 104 | 424 | .274 | .324 | .459 | .783 |
| CIN | CIN | 198 | 749 | 48 | 134 | .284 | .343 | .550 | .893 |
| CHC | CHC | 51 | 212 | 16 | 36 | .321 | .356 | .646 | 1.002 |
| PHI | PHI | 136 | 524 | 13 | 62 | .263 | .305 | .389 | .694 |
| AL ( | AL ( | 837 | 3148 | 104 | 424 | .274 | .324 | .459 | .783 |
| NL ( | NL ( | 385 | 1485 | 77 | 232 | .282 | .332 | .507 | .839 |
Castellanos lack of great offense in 2022 was well documented last year during the regular season, but in the postseason, he actually shined in the field, making a few great plays to help the Phils get to the World Series, and even made a great play in the World Series. That was then and this is now. I still consider myself to be a supporter of Castellanos. I have some faith that he will turn it around in ’23 and become that ‘good hitter’ that he was brought here to be.
Embed from Getty ImagesThat being said, the Spring Training season is underway and Castellanos still doesn’t seem like he is comfortable at the plate. In 23 AB, he is hitting .087 with 1 HR and 3 RBI. Not a great start to Spring but it is early. Unfortunately, I don’t think the more vocal Phillies fans at the home ballpark are going to be as patient as I am right now with Castellanos. My hope is he can turn things around and be that ‘hitter’ that he is being paid to be. We’ll see as the start of ’23 is just 3+ weeks away.
