Phillies: Five role players who could help the roster

TORONTO, ON - JULY 1: Nicholas Castellanos #9 of the Detroit Tigers hits a grand slam home run in the fifth inning during MLB game action against the Toronto Blue Jays at Rogers Centre on July 1, 2018 in Toronto, Canada. (Photo by Tom Szczerbowski/Getty Images)
TORONTO, ON - JULY 1: Nicholas Castellanos #9 of the Detroit Tigers hits a grand slam home run in the fifth inning during MLB game action against the Toronto Blue Jays at Rogers Centre on July 1, 2018 in Toronto, Canada. (Photo by Tom Szczerbowski/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
5 of 5
Next
TORONTO, ON – JULY 1: Nicholas Castellanos #9 of the Detroit Tigers hits a grand slam home run in the fifth inning during MLB game action against the Toronto Blue Jays at Rogers Centre on July 1, 2018 in Toronto, Canada. (Photo by Tom Szczerbowski/Getty Images)
TORONTO, ON – JULY 1: Nicholas Castellanos #9 of the Detroit Tigers hits a grand slam home run in the fifth inning during MLB game action against the Toronto Blue Jays at Rogers Centre on July 1, 2018 in Toronto, Canada. (Photo by Tom Szczerbowski/Getty Images) /

Nick Castellanos

Nick Castellanos may quietly be one of the best hitters on the market this year playing for a Tigers team currently 15 games below .500 in a horrible division.

A former first round pick, Castellanos is hitting .305 with 15 home runs and 29 doubles for Detroit. His 2.1 WAR is better than Mike Moustakas, Kris Bryant, and DJ LeMahieu this season, proving his worth leading into the deadline.

Castellanos has played the majority of his career at third base, but he’s seen nearly 1,000 innings in the corner outfield spots, mostly this season.

Next: Phillies: Power Ranking Players from 2008

Most importantly, he’s just 26 and entering his final year of salary arbitration. Locked into a team-friendly situation for another year, Castellanos could be a valuable piece for the Phillies moving forward as a bat off the bench or even a short-term starter at third if Maikel Franco is traded.