In the past few years the Philadelphia Phillies have spent millions of dollars on just a few players, hoping that their performances would reflect on the amount of money they pay them. Some players have been able to perform on the major level, while others have been paid to get sent down to the minor leagues. Bryce Harper, a league MVP (most valuable player), has definitely earned his 330 million dollar contract. He has impeccable stats, and has been the team captain of the Phillies since he got traded from the Washington Nationals in 2019. Another name to mention is Trea Turner, Trea just got traded from the Los Angeles Dodgers to the Phillies in 2022. He also got a high end deal, landing a contract for 11 years worth 300 million dollars. He had some struggles with the Phillies in the beginning of the 2023 season, but ultimately turned it around to end the season with a 0.266 batting average. But not all of the Phillies stars that got high end deals have been able to perform to their potential.
Nick Castellanos was a highly valued player for the Cincinnati Reds before getting traded to the Phillies in 2022. He landed a 5 year 100 million dollar deal with the Phillies. In 2022 Nick Castellanos was the average baseball player with a 0.263 batting average. He carried that over to the 2023 season as well, batting a 0.272. In the playoffs, Nick Castellanos batted a .213. With getting only 10 hits all postseason. Nick Castellanos had the fourth worst batting average in the playoffs for the phillies. Trea Turner, Bryce Harper, and a few of the other high profiled players batted over 0.300. In the 2022 playoffs Nick Castellanos was unable to perform to his abilities and had a batting average of 0.263. Yet again the high profile players batted over 0.300. In 2021 Nick Castellanos had a breakout season batting 0.309, right before being traded. After being traded he struggled at the plate, in the 2021 season he struck out 121 times with 531 at bats. In the past season (2023) he struck out 185 times with 626 at bats. In the postseason, Nick Castellanos has generally performed poorly batting 0.197 through 35 games, and 132 at bats. He has struggled tremendously to get on base, having an on base percentage (OBP) of 0.252.
Nick Castellanos has been one of the Phillies biggest downfalls. He has been close to leading the National League in strikeouts during the playoffs, as well as during the regular season. Nick Castellanos has consistently under performed in the last 2 seasons. He will get on a hot streak, with a high batting average, scoring multiple runs, and having multiple home runs in only a short span of games. But after his streak ends, he goes cold. Not getting on base, struggling at the plate, and leaving men in scoring position. Nick Castellanos does very well in the field. In the past two seasons with the Phillies he has made no errors and has a 1.000 fielding percentage. He’s had multiple double plays, along with 289 putouts. He has had 297 opportunities, which means he has only missed eight men. In this past season, he’s had an all time high in innings played, playing in 430.2 innings, and 157 games. With the numbers he has consistently put out in his fielding that might be the only reason he has not been traded. In the postseason, Nick Castellanos has been able to keep up his performance with a 1.000 fielding percentage, as well as 15 putouts and 16 opportunities.
Nick Castellanos batting statistics may not help him continue as a Phillies player, but if his fielding stats stay consistent in the 2024 season he might be able to get the Phillies to extend his contract for a few more years until he retires. That being said, if he does not perform well in the 2024 season, the Phillies may start looking for an alternative to find a player that can hit and field just as good as Nick Castellanos. The Phillies have already started to take alternative routes in starting to develop players like Johan Rojas. The Phillies benched Nick Castellanos in a few games of the 2023 post season to let the young, underdeveloped, Johan Rojas have a swing in the big leagues. This could be the future of the Phillies and if Nick Castellanos can’t figure out why he is struggling at the plate. The Phillies have to prove that they are not afraid to bench a high profile player to make sure the team wins.
