The Philadelphia Phillies opened their series with the Miami Marlins on a high note, picking up a 7-2 blowout win over their NL East rivals on Friday night. It was the latest example of the Phillies beginning to heat up as the win improved their record to 3-1 in their last four games and 12-8 overall on the season.
Several Phillies stars are behind the club's early-season success, including Nick Castellanos. The former Silver Slugger is off to what could be a career year, and looks like he's turned back the clock despite being in his 13th MLB season.
Looking like a completely different player compared to last year, Castellanos recently opened up about what led to his strong start.
Phillies News: Nick Castellanos Taking a More 'Mature' Approach to At-Bats
One aspect of Castellanos' game that occasionally frustrates fans is his swing-first mentality. The two-time MLB All-Star has always been open about his love for hitting baseballs, especially since it doesn't lead to the most thoughtful at-bats. That's why he's made an effort this season to give the Phillies more quality ABs when possible.
"Well, I feel like I’m relaxed a little bit more," Castellanos told The Athletic's Matt Gelb on Friday. "If I don’t know a guy, or just a righty in general, I’ll see a pitch or two. Just to see what he’s got. I’m not going up there trying to hit the ball over the ivy... Just feel like I want to give a quality at-bat as often as I can."
Even though an old dog can't always be taught new tricks, Castellanos' new approach at the plate is clearly paying off.
Through his first 20 games (72 ABs), Castellanos has racked up three home runs, six doubles, 12 RBIs, and six walks. He's also batting .319 with .372 slugging and .528 on-base percentages, and his .900 OPS is the highest it's been since he finished 12th in the 2021 National League MVP race (.939).
That's without mentioning how his 19.2% strikeout percentage is the lowest rate of his career, as well as noticeably below his career average of 23.2%. His base-on-balls percentage (7.7%) makes for the second-best effort of his 13-year big-league run.
As much as he still loves putting up runs for the Phillies, the Hialeah, FL native credits Father Time for helping him be more relaxed in the batter's box.
"I think just realizing I needed to mature a little bit," Castellanos said about his changed mindset. "Since 2017, my goal every year was to get 100 extra-base hits... But that person was, like, pedal to the metal all the time, no matter what."
It's a small sample size, but Phillies fans are hopeful that the new-and-improved Castellanos can last long enough to help bring another title to the City of Brotherly Love. The Phillies currently hold the third-best 2025 World Series odds (+1000) on FanDuel Sportsbook.
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