The Philadelphia Phillies are gearing up for another deep postseason run and one of their star bats is peaking at the right time. Outfielder Nick Castellanos drove in four runs and clubbed a 454-foot home run that ended up being the game-winner in a 5-4 Phillies victory over the New York Mets on Thursday.
Castellanos entered the game with 99 RBIs and became the first Phillies player to drive in 100 runs in a season since Bryce Harper in 2019. Since getting moved down in the lineup on Sept. 9, Castellanos has rediscovered his groove at the plate. He's batting .364 with six homers, 14 RBIs and a 1.298 OPS in his past nine games.
“It’s getting back to my foundation, just the things that I do every day,” Castellanos said, via Todd Zolecki. “The mindset of just control what I can control, and believe it’s going to be good in the end if I just stay consistent.”
Castellanos was an All-Star for the Phillies this year after a career-low .694 OPS in 2022. He is two homers shy of his second 30 home run season and topped the century mark for RBIs in a season for the third time in his career.
The Phillies offense generates a lot of power and is lengthier than last season which could spell trouble for opposing pitchers in the playoffs. Philadelphia made a surprise run to the World Series last October. No one would be surprised to see them back there next month.
Nick Castellanos is probably the third-best hitter on the Phillies, yet he's the first to reach 100 RBIs on the year. That's a scary thought as the postseason approaches.