That Balls Outta Here
FanSided

3 Phillies who need to step up in Bryce Harper’s absence

By Gabrielle Starr

CLEARWATER, FLORIDA - MARCH 28: Kyle Schwarber #12 and Nick Castellanos #8 of the Philadelphia Phillies celebrate after Schwarber hit a home run in the third inning against the Baltimore Orioles during a Grapefruit League spring training game at BayCare Ballpark on March 28, 2022 in Clearwater, Florida. (Photo by Julio Aguilar/Getty Images)
CLEARWATER, FLORIDA - MARCH 28: Kyle Schwarber #12 and Nick Castellanos #8 of the Philadelphia Phillies celebrate after Schwarber hit a home run in the third inning against the Baltimore Orioles during a Grapefruit League spring training game at BayCare Ballpark on March 28, 2022 in Clearwater, Florida. (Photo by Julio Aguilar/Getty Images) /
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Nick Castellanos, Bryce Harper, Phillies
May 13, 2022; Los Angeles, California, USA; Philadelphia Phillies right fielder Bryce Harper (3) celebrates with left fielder Nick Castellanos (8) after hitting a solo home run in the eighth inning against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports /

Nick Castellanos

Castellanos had a four-hit game on Sunday, his most hits in a game since May 9, but on the whole, his first few months in Philly have been underwhelming.

He’s hitting .252/.306/.387 with a .693 OPS. His batting average is the lowest of any season in his 10-year career in which he played more than 60 games, and his slugging percentage and OPS are the worst of his career, excluding his 11-game debut in 2013.

As far as bridging the power gap created by Harper’s absence, Castellanos hasn’t done much. He’s homer-less in June, with only four doubles in 24 games. Worse yet, he’s scored only five runs and driven in nine RBI this month, after putting up double-digits in both categories in April and May.

After a four-game hitless streak last week, it was nice to see Castellanos have six hits in the four-game set against the Padres over the weekend, but the power still isn’t there; none of his hits were for extra bases. In fact, he hasn’t had an extra-base hit since his two-double game on June 17.

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