MINNEAPOLIS — There has been one constant to this Philadelphia Phillies season and, of all things, it is Nick Castellanos. His name has been written into all 101 lineups. He dug an enormous hole in April. He went undetected in May while the Phillies stacked wins. He had some game-winning hits in June. He’s hit for more power in July.
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He smacked a 101 mph fastball to right field for a two-run double that capped a dramatic ninth-inning rally Tuesday night. Castellanos stepped on second base, faced the dugout and shimmied. Nothing about Castellanos has been flashy in 2024. It has been an uphill climb, a slow one at that, and the whole season will be colored by a dismal first month.
So be it.
“I just want my work to be good,” Castellanos said after a 3-0 win over the Minnesota Twins. “I want the vibes to be good. I want to win baseball games. Let all that other s— take care of itself.”
Here’s the thing: Castellanos has an .810 OPS since June 1. That is 15th best among National League outfielders. He has a .770 OPS since May 1. That is 19th best among NL outfielders.
He has been productive. It is not what the Phillies envisioned in the third year of a $100 million contract, but it’s productive. The Phillies were lifeless for eight innings Tuesday night, then Bryce Harper sliced a one-out double into left field in the ninth inning against talented Twins closer Jhoan Duran. Alec Bohm and J.T. Realmuto walked. Brandon Marsh hit a sacrifice fly.
And there was Castellanos, not overdoing it with a 101 mph fastball. It was the first extra-base hit by a Phillie against a pitch that fast since 2018, when Rhys Hoskins doubled against Jordan Hicks.
Casty coming through!! pic.twitter.com/EYgQLNUkb2
— Philadelphia Phillies (@Phillies) July 24, 2024
Castellanos is hitting .237 with a .697 OPS. It should be better. For the season, he is a few ticks below league average. But he has been better than that for a few months now.
“You got to figure by the end of it, he’s going to be pretty close to what he normally does,” Phillies manager Rob Thomson said. “He’s been working. He’s been hitting early on the field almost every day. He cares. And it’s showing with all the work that he’s put in. He’s getting results now.”
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That must feel good.
“Fine,” Castellanos said. “I really don’t want to get caught up in wanting them to keep coming. Because that’s a trap in itself. I just like where I’m at. I like my swings. I don’t think I’m giving away too many at-bats. And I’ll just keep going.”
Castellanos told Phillies coaches in the spring that he intended to play all 162 games this season. He’s never done it. He used that goal as a way to push his offseason training. The Phillies could have sat him — and had discussed doing it numerous times earlier in the season — when he struggled. But they honored Castellanos’ wishes, believing a little faith could be repaid later. Castellanos has not carried the Phillies or come close to the power expectations he had established before coming to Philadelphia. He bats seventh now. That bothered him before. Now, with Realmuto back, it is reality.
He has stopped taking batting practice with his teammates, which does not make him unique. Harper and Trea Turner rarely hit outside before games. They’ll hit together in the underground cage.
Castellanos has his own thing. He’s reserved time with a coach, usually assistant hitting coach Rafael Peña, early in the afternoon. It’s a personal batting practice outdoors.
“I kind of like getting out there and hitting by myself,” Castellanos said. “It’s fun.”
The Phillies are debating how much to add before next week’s trade deadline and, while they could address two needs, they will have to prioritize one over the other. They have explored upgrades for the bullpen. They have poked around on outfielders — most of them righty hitters — for weeks. They will wait to see how the trade markets develop before committing.
Their outfielders have a .663 OPS. That is 25th in baseball. No pennant winner has ever had an outfield with an OPS that low. The lowest was a .665 mark by the 1965 Los Angeles Dodgers, who captured the NL pennant, then won a seven-game World Series against Minnesota. The Phillies could obtain a better platoon partner to stick in left field with Marsh. They could go for more offense by sliding Marsh over to center and getting a more balanced corner outfielder.
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All of that would help. But continued production from Castellanos would make an even bigger difference. It has been a challenging season.
But Castellanos has been in there every day. He’s made gradual improvements.
“Just testament to him as a player,” Zack Wheeler said. “He’s been around awhile. He’s had his ups and downs. He knows how to deal with certain situations. Playing in a tough market, he hasn’t let that get into his head or his game — really. Nice and steady.”
It hasn’t been flashy. Or pretty. They’ll take it.
(Photo of Nick Castellanos after his two-run double in the ninth inning: Matt Krohn / Getty Images)
Matt Gelb is a senior writer for The Athletic covering the Philadelphia Phillies. He has covered the team since 2010 while at The Philadelphia Inquirer, including a yearlong pause from baseball as a reporter on the city desk. He is a graduate of Syracuse University and Central Bucks High School West.
