The MLB season is back in full swing, and the first-place Philadelphia Phillies are looking to continue their success from the first half of the season. This is the time that players need to dial in and play their best baseball for the playoff push.
If you go back to before the All-Star break, the Phillies are 3-6 in their last nine games. Rob Thomson’s squad has lost three straight series to the Oakland Athletics, Pittsburgh Pirates and Minnesota Twins after sweeping the NL West-leading Los Angeles Dodgers prior.
The schedule doesn’t get any easier coming up with five straight series against teams over the .500 mark. The Phillies need the players currently on the roster to step up to help maintain the team’s position in the standings.
One player on the Phillies has already begun to do so.
This is the version of Nick Castellanos the Phillies need
Nick Castellanos has been swinging the bat very well as of late. The right fielder is 9-for-23 with five doubles, one home run, six RBI and only three strikeouts in six games since the All-Star break. Castellanos is batting .283 with 15 doubles, one triple, seven home runs and 29 RBI going back to June 1.
Not only is the 32-year-old swinging a hot bat at the plate, but he’s also playing an impressive right field. He has a .982 fielding percentage with only three errors on the year.
Castellanos got off to a slow start to the 2024 season, which is why some of his numbers seem low for the year. He’s slashing .242/.296/.411 with a .707 OPS through 102 games. It’s hard for a player to make major improvements in their overall numbers when they play every game and are getting three-to-four at-bats each game like Castellanos this season.
The July 30 trade deadline is rapidly approaching, and one of the most rumored positions that the Phillies are looking into upgrading is the outfield. Dave Dombrowski and company are looking more into center field options, but there was a point that the entire outfield, including Castellanos, was looking like a major weakness offensively for the top team in baseball.
Castellanos has always been known for his offensive production as he’s a career .274 hitter. The Phillies are hoping that this version of Castellanos is here to stay because it’s exactly what the team needs heading into the playoff push.