Nick Castellanos became a full-time big leaguer in 2014, but it wasn’t really until 2018 that he became the consistent slugger we now know him to be.
And it was in that 2018 campaign that Detroit Tigers legend Miguel Cabrera imparted some wisdom on Castellanos that he’s never forgotten.
In fact, he’s still working on it.
Castellanos in 2018 started putting everything together. In prior years, we had seen the ability to hit for power and a decent average, but in 2018 he began setting personal bests at that point of his career in most offensive categories, from OPS to runs scored, batting average to doubles.
Now with the Philadelphia Phillies (with a stop in Cincinnati along the way), Castellanos on the “Chris Rose Rotation” podcast told a story about Cabrera pulling him aside that 2018 season.
“The way Miggy talks about hitting, a lot of people aren’t going to understand it because they’re not that good," Castellanos said. "Just like when he told me in 2018 when I really started to carry my own as a main piece on the team. He comes to the back of the bus, he sits next to me and he goes, ‘Look, now you only swing at the pitches that you can hit over the fence.’ In broken English, that’s how he said it. He goes, ‘Now look, you’ve got your swing. Now only swing if you can hit it over the fence.
“I’m still learning how to do that. But for him, he says it that easy because it’s been that easy.”
Although Castellanos still is working on that, there have been some noticeable improvements. He set a career high in average in 2021 as he earned his first All-Star nod, and his OPS in 2019, 2021 and thus far in 2022 all outpaced previous years in his career.
Now, Castellanos' offense is looked upon to help push the Phillies to the next level, while Cabrera is eyeing hit No. 3,000.
Related
LISTEN on the Audacy App
Sign Up and Follow Audacy Sports
Facebook | Twitter | Instagram