Nick Castellanos was one of many key pieces that helped guide the Philadelphia Phillies to the World Series last October.
Philadelphia won 87 games and captured the third NL Wild Card spot before going on a tear in October to reach the Fall Classic for the first time since 2009.
This season, Castellanos has kicked it up a notch and has posted some very impressive stats through his first 36 games.
The veteran slugger is hitting .317 with 14 doubles, five home runs, 24 RBI, and an OPS+ of 144.
On Twitter, MLB Network posted some of these stats while also featuring a video of several analysts talking about the adjustments the slugger has made this year.
"He really took it on the chin and didn't show the @Phillies fans kind of what he was (last year). Well it's changed…"
Nick Castellanos this season (36 games):
.317 AVG
14 2B
5 HR
24 RBI
144 OPS+@markdero7 | #RingTheBell pic.twitter.com/ieEFodPOEo— MLB Network (@MLBNetwork) May 10, 2023
Last season, Castellanos had a solid year, hitting for a .263 average.
However, the power numbers were down, as he hit just 13 home runs, which was over 20 short of his career-high in 2021 when he was still a member of the Cincinnati Reds.
In his first 139 at-bats of the season, Castellanos has an OPS of .892.
The 31-year-old appears to have rediscovered his power stroke at the plate and is hitting home runs more frequently this season.
Mark DeRosa broke down Castellanos’ hot start to the season on MLB Network, and gave the slugger credit for making his adjustments after not having his best season in 2022, his first year in the City of Brotherly Love.
But this season has been more similar to his 2021 campaign so far, and he’s helped the defending National League champions bounce back from a poor start and climb back into contention.
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