3 Players Who Could Provide the Phillies Nick Castellanos Insurance

Nick Castellanos has been bad this year. He’s been the worst regular in the lineup offensively outside of Johan Rojas, but the defensive liabilities decrease his value if the offense isn’t up to par.

He’s hitting a measly .226 with a .671 OPS. His OPS+ works out to a 89, decently below league average to go alongside his -0.2 Wins Above Replacement, the lowest mark of all Phillies hitters. The eye test matches the advanced numbers as his baseball savant page is concerningly blue.

The good news with Castellanos is his strong playoff track record last season and his recent hot stretch to boost his season numbers. He’s hitting .270 with four long balls in his last 15 games, as well as an average close to .400 in his last seven. It’s unlikely the Phillies would fully replace a player like Castellanos that has two years and 40 million remaining on his contract, but the Phillies are a team looking to make a run and win it all this year.

Knowing inconsistencies and the Phillies interest in making an outfield move, right field could be an area Dave Dombrowski looks to improve upon or acquire some depth insurance options down the road.

Tommy Pham

Let’s start off with a flammable name. Tommy Pham is a controversial player whose name has been in the news for his chippiness and tendency to start some altercations.

That being said, his energy could mesh well with the high-intensity, blue collar bunch assembled in Philly. And he’s been performing this year.

He’s been quite possibly the best hitter on a depressing White Sox team who will be looking to offload their rental pieces to stockpile young assets. Pham’s hitting a respectable .268 this year with a .727 OPS, on top of proven playoff success.

While his defensive numbers have been underwhelming, he’s been thrust into center field by default for a bad White Sox team, and his defense will almost certainly play up in a corner with the Phils.