Latest news with #NickCastellanos
New York Times
18 hours ago
- Sport
- New York Times
Phillies' Nick Castellanos says benching, remark to manager Rob Thomson is behind him
MIAMI — Amid season-long defensive struggles, including being lifted from right field in the eighth on Monday and a benching on Tuesday, Nick Castellanos came to Dave Dombrowski, the Phillies president of baseball operations, with a request. 'I told Dave to start giving me a packet with all my numbers, so I can understand it,' Castellanos said. 'That way I can know how to be competitive with it.' Advertisement The advanced metrics agree: Castellanos is among MLB's worst outfielders. He ranks last in the league with minus 8 outs above average. He is third-worst in the league with minus 10 defensive runs saved. Defensive concerns prompted Phillies manager Rob Thomson to lift Castellanos against the Marlins on Monday, bringing in Johan Rojas — whom Thomson called an 'elite defender.' Castellanos, unhappy with the decision, said he 'spoke his mind' to Thomson, who told the right fielder that he'd crossed a line. Thomson benched Castellanos on Tuesday for the comment, ending his streak of 236 straight starts — the second-longest active streak in MLB and the longest Phillies streak since Pete Rose. Thomson, prior to Wednesday's game, said he felt the situation with Castellanos was 'gone.' Castellanos said Thursday that he also felt it was behind him. 'We're two grown men that show up every day for work with a common goal of winning a World Series,' Castellanos said. 'If everybody just agrees on everything and doesn't speak their mind, there's not going to be passion. Emotions drive people, especially passionate people. To think that there's going to be eight months of consistently being together and not butting heads at all — it probably doesn't happen, right?' Thomson said removing Castellanos once more could be on the table going forward. Would Castellanos understand if it happened again? 'Yeah,' he said. 'It's not my decision.' Castellanos, 33, was granted a day at DH last weekend to keep him in the lineup but get him off his feet. It also kept his starting streak alive. Now that it's over, Castellanos said he is not more inclined to take a day off. 'I've always been open to taking a full day off if I needed it,' he said. The only change to Castellanos' routine, perhaps, is trying to better understand defensive metrics. Starting Sunday, Dombrowski said the Phillies will present Castellanos metrics at the end of each trip — 'all the types of defensive metrics that we look at all the time.' Advertisement Castellanos, however, isn't interested in evaluating his play. 'I don't know,' Castellanos said. 'It's not for me. I just go out there and play. It's for everybody else.' Defense remains a concern. But Castellanos' return to right field Wednesday might have saved the Phillies' win. He hunted down a fly-ball that, off the bat, looked like it could have been out of the park. It would have been a walk-off for the Marlins, who had two runners on and were down two runs. Castellanos made the catch near the wall, lifted his shirt in celebration and joined the handshake line as the Phillies won 4-2. 'It's an amazing game, isn't it?' Thomson said. 'I'm so happy for him.'
Yahoo
19 hours ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Phillies' Nick Castellanos' Wife Jess Calls Out Fans Amid Benching, 'Watch the Game'
Phillies' Nick Castellanos' Wife Jess Calls Out Fans Amid Benching, 'Watch the Game' originally appeared on Athlon Sports. The Philadelphia Phillies fanbase saw one of their fan-favorite players become the center of attention, and not for a good reason. In the middle of the series against the Miami Marlins, Phillies manager Rob Thomson benched Nick Castellanos for inappropriate comments made after getting pulled for a defensive substitution late in the game. Advertisement Afterwards, Thomson and Castellanos put it behind them. After Castellanos made a game-winning catch in right field in his first game back since his benching, there were plenty of comments about his defense. Devan Kaney of 94 WIP made a post on Twitter/X that said, "Ok Casty! Proving he can play RF just fine." A little while later, Jess Castellanos, Nick's wife, commented on that post from Kaney, which called her and others questioning Nick Castellanos out for their criticism of his defensive performance. "414 straight games no errors," Jess Castellanos posted. "National league record holder. Eyes off the computer, watch the game." Advertisement In his first game back, Castellanos made a great play to win the game, which prompted this response from Jess. While Castellanos does have a solid record of not committing errors, with how games are scored in today's game, it's not as impressive a stat. Scorers give out hits significantly more frequently, and it doesn't account for plays Castellanos can't get to a ball due to a poor read or jump. Jess's mention to get their "eyes off the computer" is about the advanced defensive metrics, which paint a very negative picture of Castellanos' defense. Philadelphia Phillies outfielder Nick Castellanos (8) fields a fly ball against the Toronto Blue Jays in the sixth inning at Citizens Bank Ross-Imagn Images According to Baseball Savant's Fielding Run Value, Castellanos is the worst defender in the league with a negative nine FRV. By Outs Above Average (OAA), Castellanos is the third-worst defender in the league with a negative eight OAA. Advertisement Between the two stats, Castellanos is graded out as the worst defender in baseball. His defense doesn't allow him to rack up errors because he isn't able to get close to as many balls as other outfielders. His range, arm, speed, jump time, and glove work are all below average at best. He's not the best defender, but if he does get to a ball, he typically makes a play. That's his strongest trait. The issue is that he can't get to a lot of balls in right field. While Castellanos returned to the field, his wife, Jess, took to social media to defend him amid the fans' complaints over his defense. With his defense still an issue, there will likely be plenty more moments throughout the year that will spark heated debate. Whether it leads to Jess defending Nick on social media again is left to be seen. Related: Phillies' Nick Castellanos Sends Six-Word Message After Rob Thomson Benching Related: Phillies' Rob Thomson Sends Heartfelt Message to Nick Castellanos Despite Latest Development This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 19, 2025, where it first appeared.
Yahoo
19 hours ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Joe Maddon Defends Phillies' Rob Thomson's Nick Castellanos Decision
Joe Maddon Defends Phillies' Rob Thomson's Nick Castellanos Decision originally appeared on Athlon Sports. Ahead of the second game against the Miami Marlins, the Philadelphia Phillies lineup came out with a surprise omission. Nick Castellanos, the team's right fielder for the past three years, wasn't in the lineup. He had been benched. Advertisement Before the game, Phillies manager Rob Thomson said Castellanos said something inappropriate when he was pulled late in the game Monday night for a defensive substitution. Castellanos backed up that statement and moved forward past it. But, there were still a lot of Phillies fans irate at Thomson for benching Castellanos. The next day, during an appearance on Foul Territory, former MLB manager Joe Maddon defended Thomson's decision to bench Castellanos, emphasizing his enhanced respect for Thomson. "The situation with Rob, he had a choice there. He could've chosen not to say anything at all. He could've just taken what Nick said after the game, called him to the office, yelled at one another, and then figured it out after that. But he made up his mind to do what he did. I do respect what he did, that is, he was honest with the press. He didn't give it any executive talk, and I love that about him." Thomson's decision to bench Castellanos and come forward, not mincing words, was something that stood out to Maddon. He respected Thomson for his integrity in benching Castellanos, because if he had made up a random excuse, then there could've been more backlash. Advertisement It's been a tumultuous ride for the Phillies in 2025, with plenty of ups and downs. The Castellanos situation is another factor that will have an impact this year. Philadelphia Phillies manager Rob Thomson (59) walks off the field against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Citizens Bank Hartline-Imagn Images However, based on how Thomson handled things, it's unlikely to carry over and have a massive impact down the stretch. Being honest with Castellanos and the media is a sign of a good manager. Maddon, someone who has years of experience managing MLB clubs himself, also acknowledged how vital Thomson's handling of the situation was. Managing a team and its diverse personalities is one of the toughest challenges in MLB. While plenty of fans may not have agreed with Thomson's approach, the outcome could have been far worse if he hadn't chosen transparency. Advertisement Maddon's assessment of Thomson's handling is correct; if he had botched this drama, the Phillies' season could have begun spiraling out of control. Related: Phillies' Nick Castellanos Sends Six-Word Message After Rob Thomson Benching Related: Phillies' Nick Castellanos Defended By Wife Jess on Social Media Amid Benching This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 19, 2025, where it first appeared.
Yahoo
20 hours ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Phillies' Rob Thomson Sends Heartfelt Message to Nick Castellanos Despite Latest Development
Phillies' Rob Thomson Sends Heartfelt Message to Nick Castellanos Despite Latest Development originally appeared on Athlon Sports. Rob Thomson made the decision to bench Nick Castellanos on Tuesday, a move that came as a major surprise. Advertisement It hadn't been reported that Castellanos said something to his skipper after being benched on Monday night. While there certainly seems to be something brewing inside of the Phillies clubhouse, and this isn't ideal, it's also important to remember that no matter the decisions Thomson makes, as long as he's being respectful and looking out for the rest of the roster, Castellanos can't get too upset with his decisions. If anything, the right-handed hitting outfielder needs to improve on the field. Regardless, Thomson's decisions clearly didn't go as planned. Perhaps he knew that Castellanos would be upset, but not to this degree. After making a comment, Thomson had had enough and benched him. Philadelphia Phillies manager Rob Thomson (59) looks on from the dugout against the Pittsburgh Pirates at PNC LeClaire-Imagn Images Despite his decision, it sounds like there's still some love between the two, at least from Thomson's side. He told reporters prior to the game on Tuesday that he loves how Castellanos prepares for work and that he's very emotional. Advertisement Playing with emotions isn't a bad thing, but he can't let it get the best of him like he did on Monday. 'One of the many things about Nick that I love is that he's very emotional,' Thomson said, per The Athletic. 'He's very emotional. He loves to play, and he loves to play every inning of every game.' Hopefully, this will all blow over in the next few days and the Phillies will return to their normal selves. It's tough to say that one is right or wrong, as Castellanos likely believes that he's a veteran and deserves to be on the field every day. For now, there will be many question marks on how this relationship will continue, despite Thomson's comments. Related: MLB Insider Considers Nationals Closer Strong Fit for Phillies This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 18, 2025, where it first appeared.
Yahoo
a day ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Marlins turn odd double play
1-0 Phillies after Nick Castellanos goes yard in the second inning! That's a heck of start in Toronto for the Phillies. Nick Castellanos' sixth home run of the season puts the Phils up 1-0 early.1-0 Phillies after Nick Castellanos goes yard in the second inning! originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia 0:47 Now Playing Paused Ad Playing
