WASHINGTON -- Nick Castellanos worked out barefoot in a sleeveless gray Pinocchio T-shirt on Sunday morning at Nationals Park.
It has been his shirt of choice before the season¡¯s first three games.
¡°I like Pinocchio,¡± the Phillies outfielder said before Sunday afternoon¡¯s 5-1 loss to the Nationals. ¡°What¡¯s not to like about Pinocchio? What do you like about Pinocchio?¡±
The Phillies opened the season last week with a spotlight on the top four hitters in the lineup -- Bryce Harper, Kyle Schwarber, Trea Turner and Alec Bohm -- and where they should hit. There were questions this spring about new left fielder Max Kepler and center fielder Brandon Marsh: Can they play every day? Can they hit left-handed pitching? Manager Rob Thomson discussed plans to keep J.T. Realmuto healthier throughout the season. Folks wondered if Bryson Stott could return to prior form after struggling offensively last year.
Castellanos almost became an afterthought, which is surprising because after a poor start last season, he batted .272 with 22 home runs, 78 RBIs and an .804 OPS in his final 132 games. He ranked 30th out of 94 qualified players in OPS in that span.
Castellanos batted .412 (7-for-17) with one double, one home run, three RBIs and a 1.059 OPS in the National League Division Series against the Mets. He was one of only two Phillies with an OPS better than .671 (minimum six at-bats) in the series.
Castellanos was one of the Phils¡¯ best hitters for months.
He went 1-for-3 with a walk in Sunday¡¯s loss, logging a two-strike single in the first. Castellanos walked in the third. He flied out to the warning track in right-center field in the sixth. The ball left his bat at 101.4 mph, according to Statcast. He flied out to right-center field in the eight. The ball left his bat there at 97.2 mph.
¡°He¡¯s staying on the ball and driving the ball to right-center,¡± Thomson said. ¡°He just mis-hit a couple balls. He was one tick away from a home run.¡±
Castellanos said on Sunday morning that if he could take something from last season and carry it into this season, it would be, ¡°Probably not care as much.¡±
Castellanos said he cared too much in the past.
¡°I would hang onto things,¡± he said.
So, how does he care less?
¡°That¡¯s a good question,¡± he said. ¡°Do you have any advice for that?¡±
Not really, no.
Part of that, Castellanos said, is focusing ¡°on things I can control.¡±
Maybe it just means focusing on having quality at-bats every day, wherever he hits in the lineup, whether it¡¯s seventh (Thursday), sixth (Saturday) or fourth (Sunday). Castellanos didn¡¯t offer specifics about the things he can control, but he did have good at-bats throughout the weekend in Washington.
He had two hits. He walked four times.
Castellanos looked better than he did in the spring, when he batted .150 (6-for-40) with two home runs, three RBIs and a .527 OPS.
He seems to be seeing the ball better.
¡°Not really,¡± Castellanos said. ¡°I was seeing it OK [in the spring]. The first half of Spring Training, I¡¯m scared I¡¯m going to get hit. There¡¯s a bunch of young kids that are probably not going to break camp and they just probably spent all offseason in the laboratory figuring out how to throw as hard as they can, not worrying about strikes. So, it¡¯s kind of hard to hit if I¡¯m worrying about getting hit and hitting at the same time.
¡°Now that all of that is kind of cleaned out and [we] have more of the Major League talent in baseball games, then the game kind of becomes more of a priority.¡±
Castellanos believes if he can just stay healthy -- he started 162 games last season -- he can be productive again.
His work continued on the outfield turf before Sunday¡¯s game.
¡°Finding new tricks to challenge myself athletically and stay healthy is important to me, but not just as a baseball player,¡± Castellanos said. ¡°Just like, I¡¯m getting older as a human. I¡¯d like to be able to be a healthy, athletic grandfather with my grandkids one day. So, it¡¯s probably important to start these habits now.¡±
Pinocchio should still be streaming then.