PHILADELPHIA - Phillies fans are starting to let outfielder Nick Castellanos hear their frustrations.
In the post-game clubhouse, Castellanos’ frustrations came out during a media scrum after a 10-inning, 6-2 Phillies’ loss to the Chicago Cubs on Saturday.
Fans booed Castellanos - who signed a five-year, $100-million contract before the season but has mostly been ineffective - on Saturday. NBC Sports Philadelphia’s Jim Salisbury asked Castellanos if he heard the boos.
“Naw, man, I lost my hearing,” said Castellanos, typically direct in responses but accessible and cordial with media. “Come on man, it’s a stupid question.”
Asked why it was a stupid question, Castellanos responded “Can anybody else answer that for him, anybody?”
Castellanos didn’t get a response, which prompted a follow-up on what it felt like to be booed. His signing prior to the season was lauded by the Phillies’ fans, who are growing increasingly frustrated with the return on the club’s investment.
“It is what is is, man,” said Castellanos. “I’ve hit lows in my career and I go home and get ready to play baseball tomorrow.”
Castellanos went 0-for-4 Saturday, including striking out with the potential go-ahead run on third and two outs in the eighth inning. He is 0-for-9 after the All-Star Break and the four days off haven’t seemed to spark him out of his season-long slump.
The right fielder is hitting just .245 with eight home runs and 46 RBI. Last year, he batted .309 with 34 home runs and 100 RBI with the Cincinnati Reds as he became an all-star for the first time.
Castellanos has also played in Detroit and with the Cubs in his career. Expectations were high for him coming to Philadelphia - the Phillies exceeded the luxury tax to sign him - and he talked before the season about wanting to win a game that mattered.
He has been in the playoffs twice and hasn’t experienced a postseason win.
Asked if he has felt the pressure to play in Philadelphia, a passionate sports town hungry for its baseball team to break an 11-year postseason drought, Castellanos acknowledged coming to a new team has its challenges.
“It’s just different,” said Castellanos. “It’s very similar to my first year in Cincinnati. You go to a new organization, with new faces, new philosophy, new city, new energy. It’s nothing I can’t adapt to.”
Phillies manager Rob Thomson has resisted pulling his struggling outfielder out of the three-hole. With injuries to Bryce Harper and Jean Segura, Castellanos’ struggles have been more noticeable - and also limits the manager’s options.
“That’s a question for Rob,” said Castellanos on if dropping in the lineup might alleviate some pressure. “I’ll hit wherever. I like hitting three. I’m not somebody who thinks that where I hit in the lineup has anything to do with how I perform.”
Bill Evans can be reached at bevans@njadvancemedia.com. Thank you for relying on us to provide the journalism you can trust. Please consider supporting NJ.com with a subscription.
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July 24, 2022 at 10:06AM
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