After a disappointing 2022 season, Nick Castellanos feels comfortable and ready to make a comeback for the Phillies.
After hitting 34 home runs and driving in 100 runs with the Cincinnati Reds in 2021, Castellanos dipped to 13 homers and 62 RBI for the Phillies last season. The Phillies expected bigger numbers, after signing him to five-year, 100 million deal.
Castellanos struggled through the 2022 season despite a couple of stellar defensive plays in the postseason.
“Last year, I was just pissed off, unhappy, frustrated,” Castellanos told reporters at spring training in Clearwater, Fla. “Baseball wasn’t fun. It was a job. I’m very lucky that I’ve never worked a day in my life. And to do something that you don’t love doing sucks. What I love doing is playing baseball with my friends and beating the team that’s not wearing the same uniform that we’re wearing. That’s the only thing that I’m worried about. Last year was last year. That’s where it stays — in last year.”
“Personally, it was the hardest year,” Castellanos said. “From a team standpoint, it was the best. I think it was just having everything move as fast as it did. I wasn’t comfortable at home. I wasn’t comfortable here. I wasn’t comfortable anywhere.”
Castellanos never looked comfortable at the plate the entire season. He is eager to respond in a big way in 2023 and prove that he was worth every penny of his contract.
With Bryce Harper out until likely around the All-Star break, the Phillies will need Castellanos to improve tremendously this season.
Phillies OF Nick Castellanos. Photo courtsey of Twitter
