The Philadelphia Phillies signed Nick Castellanos to a 5-year, $100 million contract prior to the 2022 season. It was going to be great. The Phillies would have someone who could bat ahead of Bryce Harper, and be on second base more times than not. But 2022 Castellanos was not what the Phillies signed up for. In what would prove to be the worst full season of his career, he would only hit .263/.305/.389 with 13 home runs and a 96 OPS+. He would also finish the season with a bWAR of exactly 0.0. But this year, the Castellanos the Phillies wanted when they signed him is back.
Nick Castellanos is 13 for his last 19 — a .684 batting average.
As if it were any question: he is very much back.
— Alex Carr (@AlexCarrMLB) June 5, 2023
Nick Castellanos Is Back With a Vengence
I’ll Be Back…
The struggles Castellanos had in 2022 were not due to bad luck. He had a BABIP of .326 on the year, right in line with his career BABIP of .334. But diving deeper into his rate stats you’ll find that his exit velocity was the lowest of his career (87.6) as was his line drive (22%) and barrel rate (35.5%). For someone who lives and dies on hitting the ball into the gaps, that’s not a viable formula for doing so. He would finish the 2022 season with only 27 doubles, his lowest full-season total since hitting only 25 in 2016 when he played 26 fewer games.
This year, however, Castellanos is back. He currently has a line of .310/.357/.488 with seven home runs, 21 doubles, and a 131 OPS+. This is the Nick Castellanos the Phillies were hoping to add to their lineup when they agreed to pay him $20 million a year. This is the Castellanos that everyone has seen for almost 10 years now. But, is it really?
…With A New Approach
It’s no secret that MLB rules have changed drastically for this season. There is now a pitch clock to shorten the game, and the shift has been severely limited, among other changes. With the shift being limited, it has brought a new approach at the plate to a plethora of batters. Pull hitters are not as penalized as they once were now that defenses can not stack their entire infield to one side or the other of second base. And that brings us to Castellanos’ new approach.
When you take another look at Castellanos’ rate stats, it’s very easy to point out. His exit velocity (89.4) is back up to par with his career numbers, as well as his barrel rate (44%). That’s where things get a little different. He’s still hitting line drives (25.5%) at a much lower rate than he ever has, and he is hitting ground balls (45.7%) more than he ever has. What seems to be the key to success for Nick Castellanos this season has been pulling the ball. He has pulled (32.6%) the ball to left field more than ever before, while hitting to center (51.1%) and right field (16.3%) much less. This new approach, along with the rule changes, has put Castellanos back on the right track. This is the Nick Castellanos that the Phillies envisioned in their lineup when they signed him. And those visions are finally coming to light.
Main photo credits:
Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports
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