“You’re not dreaming,” went a tweet that the Phillies put out on March 22, 2022. “Nick Castellanos is a Phillie”. All dreams give way to reality eventually, but the awakening isn’t always so harsh. Over four seasons with the Phillies, Nick Castellanos has provided some sterling moments but nothing resembling the transformative excellence that was hoped for when his then-agent, Scott Boras, referred to him as “the frosting” that would complete the Phillies’ cake. Castellanos, not superlative enough
to be counted among the Phillies’ stars and not young enough to sit at the kids’ table alongside the Daycare, carved out an odd, often tentative spot in the Phillies’ lineup. In 2025, his spot became more tentative than ever.
2025 stats
589 PA, .250/.294/.400, 17 HR, 72 RBI, 22.6 K%, 5.4 BB% 90 wRC+, -0.6 fWAR
What went right
Despite his struggles at the plate, Castellanos still had some pop in 2025. His 17 round-trippers tied him with Harrison Bader for fourth on the team, and he was only one behind Max Kepler, in third. Granted, that also says something about the top-heavy nature of the Phillies’ home run leaderboard. But there’s no denying that there were moments in Castellanos’ 2025 where you could see the image of the slugger that the Phillies hoped to get when they signed him.
What went wrong
Castellanos’ 2025 came as no surprise. Like Marty McFly watching the Honeymooners, we’ve seen this one before. Castellanos chased a ton (40.9% of pitches outside of the zone, third percentile), whiffed a ton (29.9%, 16th percentile), struck out a fair bit, barely walked. What changes we did see were mostly negative: all three components of his slash line were the lowest he’s posted in Phillies pinstripes. After two seasons of being a slightly above average hitter by wRC+, he became a sub-average hitter, with a career-worst 90 wRC+. Though he still tapped into his power sometimes, he did so less than before, with declines in his barrel rate, hard hit percentage, and exit velocities (both average and max).
His fielding followed a similar trajectory: a small decline from a less than lofty perch. By Outs Above Average, this was the worst season of his Phillies tenure. Other fielding metrics had him roughly where he’s been in previous seasons with the Phillies; all agreed the song remained largely the same. No player in baseball subtracted more runs with his range (or lack thereof); only Juan Soto could match Castellanos’ -11. His arm was better, though not by much: his -2 runs via his arm ranked above only five players leaguewide.
On the whole, Castellanos weighed in as sub-replacement level. That lead to the loss of his role as an everyday player, and while it is hard to argue that the demotion was uncalled for, he did not take it well. Castellanos found his new position uncomfortable, to the point where he erupted at Rob Thomson with words that, while currently (and perhaps forever) unknown, were reported to have appalled the team and resulted in a brief suspension. He also issued some unexpected remarks on Thomson’s communications skills that, while not as poorly received as his dugout remarks, also failed to impress. “I think I’m an emotional person,” said Castellanos at his introductory press conference. It is perhaps unfair, but certainly not unpredictable, that the degree to which this quality is prized depends on how well one is playing. That level of fire is charming when the homers are flying. It is much less so when the whiffs are adding up and base hits are dropping in front of you.
The future with the Phillies
Asked about Castellanos’ future at the press conference opening up the Phillies’ offseason, Dave Dombrowski seemed content to let the matter hang in the air. “We’ll see what happens,” he said. But while there is no formal news about his fate, there is a consensus: Castellanos will probably not be back with the Phillies next year. He has one year left on his contract and is owed $20 million by the Phillies. A trade or outright cutting seem more likely than a return, a fact that seemed apparent even before Dombrowski’s pointedly noncommittal remarks. The Phillies are looking to reshape an outfield that has been a weak link for the team for some time, and Castellanos’ combination of disappointing play and high salary make him a likely candidate to be moved. His public complaints and dustups over his reduced role aren’t likely to have been a decisive factor should this come to pass, but they certainly make a potential decision easier. In the event he remains, he will face a skeptical fanbase, a platoon role he’s less than fond of, and the discomfort of playing for a manager whom he has publicly questioned.
Shortly after Castellanos arrived in Philadelphia, his teammates put on t-shirts celebrating a remark he made at that introductory press conference: “I don’t have a college degree. I hit baseballs”. His confident, charmingly self-effacing remark now evokes a sense of loss: the carefree, brash Castellanos that we thought we’d see in Philadelphia, that he hoped to be here in Philadelphia, never really showed his face for long. Still, for some brief but indelible moments—sliding catches in the 2022 pennant run, a walk-off single in the 2024 NLDS, providing what proved to be the last spark of joy in that lost postseason—we saw the Casty we hoped to see.
