Phillies' Nick Castellanos ready to turn page on 2022 season
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- Nick Castellanos' first season with the Philadelphia Phillies was, in a word, underwhelming from an individual viewpoint. The Phillies fell two wins shy of winning the World Series, but Castellanos struggled to find his footing in Philly.
With spring training comes a fresh start, and one that the 30-year-old says he's better prepared for.
"I'm just ready to play baseball," Castellanos told reporters Tuesday in Clearwater, Florida. "I'm ready to get back out there with these guys and shake hands after games because we win."
The difference between this season and this year, he says, is comfort.
"Just prepared is the biggest thing. I've seen all of your guys' faces pretty much before," Castellanos told reporters. "I know now my teammates, I know the staff. I know where I'm living. Just little things, I guess, that matter to me. My wife calls me a control freak, and so does my family. And maybe there's a little bit of truth in that, but I'm excited for this year."
The Phillies signed Castellanos to a five-year, $100 million contract last March, pushing the franchise past the luxury tax for the first time, and euphoria erupted in Philadelphia.
But not much went right for Castellanos at the plate in his first season with the Phillies.
Castellanos had a .263/.305/.389 slash line with a .694 on-base plus slugging percentage, 95 OPS+ (meaning he was five percent below league average), 13 home runs, and 130 strikeouts to 29 walks.
It came after slugging 34 homers and driving in 100 runs with a 138 OPS+ in 2021 with the Cincinnati Reds.
While it was a trying year for Castellanos personally, the Phillies rode a magical ride to Game 6 of the World Series.
During the postseason run, Castellanos made three game-saving catches along the way -- and defense isn't what he's known for.
It's a new season and the Phillies reloaded with the offseason additions of Trea Turner, Taijuan Walker, Gregory Soto, Craig Kimbrel, Matt Strahm and Josh Harrison.
Kyle Schwarber said earlier this week that the Phillies are "hungry."
In 2023, Castellanos also believes the Phils have all the right things to make another run at an October run.
"I'm really excited for it," Castellanos said. "This is a great group of guys, and this is a great staff. All the ingredients are in place to build off of what we started last year."