Castellanos confident he's in good spot after HR

CLEARWATER, Fla. -- Nick Castellanos left BayCare Ballpark happy on Tuesday because he crushed a two-run home run to right-center field.

Homers are always fun, of course, but this one felt better because Castellanos was relaxed before he jumped a 3-1 sinker.

“That’s a real good indication that Nick’s in a good spot,” Castellanos said following a 15-5 loss to the Braves. “A hitter’s count. In the past, I’d get in that count and I got so giddy that I could’ve gotten that same pitch and hooked it foul.”

This spring, Castellanos has moved closer to the plate and up in the box with the idea that he will not have to attack the outside corner as much and “get that slider a little bit higher.”

Castellanos entered Tuesday hitless in his past 14 at-bats, but he has walked seven times in 31 plate appearances, after walking just 29 times in 558 plate appearances last season. Phillies manager Rob Thomson said it's an indication that Castellanos is seeing the ball well.

Castellanos agrees.

“I just want to be a more complete hitter,” he said. “I just want to be somebody who hits the ball hard. I want to take my walks, but I don’t think I’m ever going to go up there looking to walk. I don’t think I’m ever going to be somebody that’s sitting 2-0, hoping to get to 3-0, taking 3-1, hoping to walk. If I can be more disciplined with my swings, I think that’s a good thing.

“In a perfect world, I don’t walk at all and I hit the [stuff] out of the ball every time. Because that’s way more fun.”

In other words, Castellanos is not going to be a 100-walk guy. That has never been his goal. But he can swing at better pitches in the zone and he can hit those balls harder. If he does those things, he believes he will rebound from a disappointing debut season with the Phillies.

“This Spring Training, in general, I told myself ahead of time that this is more important than me having good Spring Training numbers,” Castellanos said. “Coincidentally, I’ve had three Spring Trainings where I’ve been just absolutely unconscious, and those years, I’ve gotten off to my slowest starts.”

As one example, Castellanos posted an 1.145 spring OPS in 2017 with the Tigers. He put up a .636 OPS through May that season, but an .896 OPS the rest of the way.

“It could just be luck or whatever, but I think the biggest thing that I wanted to do in spring was just be more relaxed and get better pitches to hit,” he said. “So the only time I’m really frustrated with myself is when I chase. If I get out, but I swing at a strike, it is what it is.”