Nick Castellanos Announced As Phillies Lone All-Star Game Representative

It was announced last night that Nick Castellanos will be the Phillies’ lone representative at the 2023 MLB All-Star game next week in Seattle. This is Castellanos’ 2nd career all-star selection.

The honor is well-deserved for the Phils’ right fielder, who is having a great season at the plate. He’s currently slashing .316/.358/.516 with 12 homers and 54 RBIs. Castellanos is 3rd in the NL in batting average and tied for 8th in RBIs.

It is safe to say this is the Nick Castellanos Phillies fans expected when he signed a 5-year/$100 million deal two off-seasons ago. In 2021 Castellanos had a career year as a member of the Reds, hitting .309 with 34 home runs and 100 RBIs.

His first year in Philadelphia did not go as expected. He hit just .263 with 13 homers and 62 RBIs and was booed at Citizens Bank Park on multiple occasions. He could not lay off a slider down and away and had one of the highest chase rates in the Majors.

This year, different story. Castellanos was arguably the team MVP through the first half of the season. He’s been an extra-base hit machine and his power numbers have been on the rise as of late. He is tied with Luis Arraez and Ronald Acuna Jr. for the most 3+ hit games in MLB this season, and his ability just to get bat on ball has paid dividends for the Phillies.

Castellanos has attributed being more relaxed both on and off the field this season as a reason for his resurgence. If you remember, Nick had to deal with a lot off the field last season, including moving to a new city late in the offseason, his wife having a baby, and the location of his new home being leaked. This season, we are seeing what a more relaxed Nick Castellanos can do.

Casty went 2-4 with a homer, a double, and 2 RBIs in the Phils’ most recent game, a 5-4 loss to the Nationals on Sunday.

“It’s an honor to be able to represent the city and the team, and also to experience it with the [Phillies] coaching staff,” he said yesterday during his postgame interview. “It’s going to be a fun time.”

The MLB All-Star game takes place on Tuesday, July 11th, at 8:00p on FOX at T-Mobile Park in Seattle, WA.