Nick Castellanos Has Quietly Become More Patient At The Plate
Patient is not a word anyone has ever used to describe Nick Castellanos. At least not at the plate. Over his career, he has been the definition of a free swinger. It is a meme at this point when we see him go reaching for the breaking ball that is practically in the dirt.
Has Nick Castellanos Become More Patient?
He is still not a patient hitter. But this season, that part of his game has actually improved. In his first 2 seasons combined Castellanos has had 65 combined walks. An abysmal number for any major leaguer. this year, through two months, he is on track to walk 59 times. Not a great number, but a noticeable improvement over his first two seasons.
In 2022 he chased strikes out of the zone 39.6% of the time. In 2023 that rose to 41% of the time. This season it is down to 38.5%. Those numbers are all too big. But that 1.1% difference is actually a sizable dip. Even if it still makes him among the worst in the MLB, it’s a noticeable improvement.
His strikeout rate is down as well. Castellanos is striking out 21.5% of the time this season. Last year it was 27.6%, and in 2022 it was 23.3%.
We Are Seeing It Pay Off At The Plate
Few players were as bad as Nick Castellanos to start the season. At one point his BA was well under .200, with poor power numbers to go with it. But in the last 30 days, his numbers are respectable, perhaps even good.
He is hitting .250/.319/.462/.781 over those games entering the game on Wednesday. That includes 5 HRs, and 7 doubles, with 16 RBIs and 9 walks. He added a 2 run HR to that total in the final game against the Brewers.
Nick is always going to be a free swinger. He will never be a guy who draws a lot of walks. But improvement is an improvement, and his baby steps deserve credit,
Nick Castellanos is not the elite hitter they thought they were getting when they signed him before the 2022 season. I don’t think we will ever see the guy who got MVP votes with the Reds again. But can he be a hitter who contributes to the team’s success? In May he was.
If you have watched these last 30 days, you have seen a slightly more patient hitter. He even walked twice against the Brewers, before hitting a walk-off double in the 10th inning on Tuesday Night. Casty has 4 games with multiple walks this season. He had 5 such games in his first two seasons here combined.
Did Nick Castellanos Learn Something From The NLCS?
Maybe, just maybe, he learned something from the Diamondbacks series last year. The DBacks saw a flaw in the Phillies and exploited it. Too many Phillies players were swinging at pitches outside of the strike zone, so they just stopped giving them anything to hit.
Castellanos and Turner were the biggest offenders in that series. Turner was off to a great start before he got hurt. It took Nick Castellanos a bit longer, but he seems to be learning that lesson too. Even if it is only a slight improvement, it is enough to make a difference in his game.
There will be moments where this team needs Castellanos to step up. We saw him do it in the Braves series. We also saw him fail to do it in the 2022 playoffs, or against the DBacks. But if he is willing to take more pitches, even if it is only a slight improvement, the chances of him stepping up when needed this season go up.
May and the start of June have been a good first step. Let’s see if he keeps it up.
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MLB London Series: 6 Things Phillies Fans Should Be Excited About
London Stadium at Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park
London Stadium at Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park will host both games between the Phillies and the Mets.
West Ham United has played their Premier League home games there since 2016. Expect some creative crossover content between sports that are typically played in very different atmospheres.
The multipurpose venue will convert to a baseball field temporarily for the MLB London Series. The Yankees-Red Sox and Cubs-Cardinals series both went smoothly at the same location.
The showcase series have helped to grow baseball in a new market in London. Great Britain competed in the World Baseball Classic in 2023, a major step to legitimize the presence of the sport in British culture.
Utley spoke optimistically about the growing popularity of the game in London when he visited Citizens Bank Park to promote the international showcase.
Bryce Harper Has An Even Better Idea
Todd Zolecki joined Kevin Cooney on Philly Sports Tonight on May 20. He recounted a conversation with Bryce Harper when the superstar slugger spoke about how a round-robin tournament with other MLB teams or a long series with more at stake could make the showcase more exciting.
Zolecki added that he believes Harper and the Phillies are ultimately still excited for the new experience.
Rob Thomson spoke with the same sentiment when he talked about the group’s anticipation for the trip.
“A lot of guys are excited to go. We offered the guys that aren’t pitching in London if they wanted to stay back, and they all want to go. They’re excited. I’m glad that they are excited because it might affect your performance if everybody’s (not excited).” -Rob Thomson
The MLB London Series will draw more interest than average regular-season games. The appeal of the trip to Europe will attract additional fans, and the novelty will attract a larger television audience.
However, two games against a struggling Mets team won’t be a consequential part of the 2024 season. Harper’s idea provides an opportunity for the international series to improve in future seasons.
MLB Novelty Games
The NFL has traditionally sold its product better than the other three major professional sports leagues are even capable of.
The novelty of a 17-game regular season creates a different dynamic, and the 162-game MLB schedule doesn’t lend itself to the same type of feeling of a special event.
The Field of Dreams Game and the annual Little League Classic have added the special event feeling to baseball on a small scale. A June matchup at Rickwood Field in Alabama to honor the legacy of the Negro Leagues adds another appealing showcase.
The expansion of international series in South Korea, the Dominican Republic, Mexico City, and London also break up the monotony of 162 games.
Baseball has taken effective steps to appeal to the modern sports scene in recent seasons. The MLB London Series adds an interesting novelty.
Party In Philadelphia
The intense passion of Philadelphia fans sets the market apart from any other in professional sports. It became obvious that the passion carries to any time of the day when the Eagles traveled to London in 2018 one season after winning the Super Bowl.
Birds fans tapped their kegs for the 9:30am kickoff on the East Coast of the United States. What will the same crazy diehards do for a 10:10am first pitch on Sunday, June 9?
The Phillies are a World Series contender at the center of attention for one of the highlights of the regular season. Expect to see some Phillies fans celebrate the MLB London Series with some kegs and eggs.
