PHILADELPHIA (94WIP Sportsradio) — The Phillies haven’t reached the postseason since 2011, one year after Nick Castellanos was taken by the Tigers in the first round of the MLB Draft.
Since then, neither Castellanos nor the Phillies have won a playoff game, but the 2021 All-Star believes that signing with Philadelphia means an end to both of those painful droughts.
“The organization is committed to winning,” Castellanos said at his introductory press conference on Wednesday. “You see that starting with ownership … just a lot of things for me to be excited about.
“I’ve played over 1,000 big-league games, and I have zero playoff wins. Cool — I’ve made money, I’ve hit homers, I’ve played on TV, but I haven’t won any games that matter. I would like to do that.”
Indeed, Castellanos has played in 1,086 big-league games over his nine-year career, and is 0-5 in playoff games with the Tigers and Reds. Detroit reached the World Series the year before Castellanos broke into the bigs, then were swept out of the ALDS by the Orioles in 2014, when Castellanos managed one hit in 10 at-bats. In 2020, Castellanos’ Reds were swept out of the unique Wild Card Series by the Braves, where Castellanos went 3-for-6 with a double in game one.
But now, after signing a five-year deal, the 30-year-old is ready to help bring playoff magic back to Philadelphia, and those that wrote up his contract believe he is part of the puzzle to get the Phils back into October.
“He's one of the premier hitters in Major League Baseball," Phillies president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski said. “He brings more than just a bat to the lineup …. He's a championship type of individual.”
Dombrowski should know. He was with the Tigers when they drafted Castellanos, who since then has put together a promising career, posting an OPS above .800 in five of the last six seasons (the lone outlier being the 2020 shortened season), including a career-best .939 last season, when he blasted 34 home runs. Alongside Bryce Harper and fellow newcomer Kyle Schwarber, Castellanos hopes to be part of a dangerous middle of the order that will slug the Phillies back into the playoffs.
How? By keeping it simple, he says.
“I think the best way to describe it is survival,” Castellanos said of his hitting approach. “It’s how I feed my family. I don’t have a college degree. I hit baseballs.”
Follow Ryan Chichester on Twitter: @ryanchichester1