Slumping Phillies outfielder has finally turned the corner at the plate

The Philadelphia Phillies have been off to a hot start. The club went 20-11 through March and April and has lost just one game thus far in May. During this early season hot streak, the club has received contributions from a multitude of players. The starting rotation has been dominant, and the offense has been relatively consistent.

One player who struggled through much of the first month of the season may be coming to life at the plate. Right fielder Nick Castellanos had a dreadful start to the season. Through April 29, the outfielder slashed .173/.242/.218, good for a .460 OPS. In that span, Castellanos had just two extra-base hits — a triple and one home run — over 120 plate appearances.

As a player that the Phillies signed to hit for power, these numbers were uninspiring. Castellanos has not been a model of consistency since joining the Phillies prior to the 2022 season. He has, however, come up with some big hits and has shown that he can still be an effective player if he can put the ball in play and cut back on chasing pitches out of the zone.

Recently, he has been putting more balls in play and he has been seeing positive results.

Slumping Phillies outfielder has finally turned the corner at the plate

Since April 30, the 32-year-old has been more effective offensively. In his last eight games, he has already doubled his extra-base hit total, clubbing three doubles and his dramatic game-tying home run against the Angels. He has also posted a .333/.375/.533 slash line which finally brought his season batting average above the Mendoza Line.

One of the odd things about Castellanos' season to this point is that his strikeout rate is actually down from a season ago, when he was an All-Star. His walk rate is also higher than in 2023. This could be for a few reasons. While his chase rate is the same, his zone contact is up compared to last season.

Perhaps he has made some adjustments at the plate that were just not panning out early on. It's unlikely that he will be the most consistent hitter in this Phillies lineup, but there are signs suggesting that he will be better as the season progresses than his numbers have indicated.

Getting Castellanos going at the dish will be crucial over the course of the next six weeks with Trea Turner sidelined with a hamstring injury. Turner's bat will be missed after his hot start to the season. The Phillies will need every player in the lineup to step up in his absence.

As another right-handed bat in the order, Castellanos is a key piece to that solution. If things continue trending the way they have been for the right fielder, perhaps he really is turning the corner.