Philadelphia Phillies outfielder Nick Castellanos is one of the most reliable active generators of notable quotables in all of Major League Baseball. When he's not ruminating about Scooby Doo's superhero status, he's being a little too revealing explaining his defensive struggles. In an era where everyone receives media training and a handbook of platitudes, Castellanos' authenticity stands out as a change of pace.
Castellanos delivered in multiple respects on Tuesday night, launching a three-run home run off Houston Astros right-hander Justin Verlander as part of a 5-0 win. Afterward, he produced the scrum equivalent of a hard line-drive by comparing his style of hitting to "glorified batting practice."
"My style of hitting, which is always like glorified batting practice … I don't really have an approach, I look for the baseball and hit it as hard as I can," Castellanos told reporters, including Tim Kelly of Phillies Nation.
Let's be real: see-ball, hit-ball is not a particularly new offensive philosophy. Hitting is a reactive act, and some players are better off streamlining their processes to minimize response time. Still, batters generally are not so quick to admit they "don't really have an approach" in such terms. That bluntness is, again, part of what makes Castellanos a gem.
Whatever Castellanos is doing up there, it's working well for him as of late. He enters Wednesday having hit .292/.351/.483 with three home runs and seven additional extra-base hits in August. He's raised his seasonal OPS from .700 entering the month to .723, giving him a 100 OPS+ on the year. That may not be quite where the Phillies want his final numbers to fall, but it's a step up from where he was earlier in the summer. (His OPS was down below .680 as recently as July 12.)
Castellanos and the Phillies will wrap up their series with the Astros on Wednesday before embarking on a pivotal four-game set with the Atlanta Braves. The Phillies, as it stands, maintain a six-game lead over the Braves.