Apr 3, 2025; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Colorado Rockies catcher Jacob Stallings (25) tags out Philadelphia Phillies outfielder Max Kepler (17) at the plate during the second inning at Citizens Bank Park. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images
Last spring, Nick Castellanos was looking for something to help him get out of a slump in which he was mired.
Flash back to 15 games into the season in 2024. Castellanos was 10-for-55 (.182) without an extra base hit and an OPS of .444. He had also struck out 16 times.
His slide would continue for another several games, dipping to a slash line of .153/.218/.153/ .371 after 20 games.
His climb out of that hole was slow and arduous. Even though it started climbing on Game 21, it wasn't until a series in mid June against the San Diego Padres where Castellanos changed up his routine.
He decided to get to the ballpark early, and before anyone else took the field, he started taking early batting practice before anyone else took the field.
That night, he had two doubles.
The next day, he took early batting practice again. Again, in an empty stadium.
That night he had four hits, including two more doubles.
A new routine was born.
"I found peace last year taking early batting practice," Castellanos said. "Just kind of get away from all the noise and instruction, and just go out and be a kid swinging in the back yard."
In those final 91 games, after making early BP his staple, Castellanos slashed .295/.351/.500 for an OPS of .851. Of his 98 hits, 38 were for extra bases.
He has carried over the early BP routine into 2025, and the numbers through 15 games are similar (.291/.339/.491 .830 OPS).
So, if it worked for Nick...
Nick Castellanos is well-known for his early BP work. Usually he’s out there alone. Today, he was joined by a few guys who could use something like it to change their recent hitting misfortunes: Alec Bohm, Brandon Marsh and Max Kepler. pic.twitter.com/nH6LtCMeUA
That video shows three guys joining Castellanos for early BP on Monday - Alec Bohm, Brandon Marsh and Max Kepler. All three are in various stages of an early season slump.
Marsh is mired in an 0-for-26 drought and is likely sitting the next three games, per manager Rob Thomson, who feels the Phillies centerfielder is in need of a mental break from putting too much pressure on himself.
Bohm's struggles have arguably been worse. While his batting average through 15 games is higher than Marsh (.150 vs. .108), his OPS is a dreadful .331.
OPS+ is a statistic that measures a batter's productivity compared to the rest of the sport and is adjusted for the ballparks in which the games were played. The average major leaguer is set at 100.
Bohm is minus-4.
Out of 155 qualified hitters in baseball (3.1 ABs per team game played), Bohm ranks 155th in OPS and is 52 points behind the guy who ranks 154th (Chicago White Sox first baseman Andrew Vaughn at .383).
Kepler, who was the offensive darling of spring training, is also scuffling. He's hitting .200 and has an OPS of just .619.
Phillies manager Rob Thomson emphasizes that even if a player’s numbers aren’t ideal right now, there are many baseball games left. @KYWNewsradio pic.twitter.com/FZ9YLTNLfh
"These guys got to remember, we're 15 games in here," Thomson said. "There's 70 guys hitting under 200 in major league baseball right now, so they just need to relax. It's going to happen. We've got a long way to go."
For their part, the players admit that they get into their own heads sometimes, and that's part of the problem.
"For me, more so, it's mental," Kepler said. "The mechanics of the mind are a powerful thing and it can definitely play tricks on you in this game."
He added that his swing still looks right, but that how he uses that swing is what sometimes gets him overthinking.
"If anything, it's intent," Kepler said. "Like taking my 'A swing' and just letting it go opposed to trying to just put balls in play and feel for it. That's what I always have to work on until I get to a two-strike count."
So, getting that early BP in maybe takes some pressure off. There's fewer eyeballs on you. There's less distraction. It's more concentrated and focused time.
Castellanos said he didn't organize it for the other guys to come out early, but he welcomed it.
Kepler said he tries to get in an early BP once a series just to adjust to the batter's eye - usually in the first game he is slated to play.
Marsh said he was looking to change things up. "I got to grind, you know? Get back on track," he said. "Today was a good day, now we just got to keep stacking them."
Castellanos has been one of the guys Marsh has leaned on during this brutal start. He talked about how he, Kyle Schwarber and hitting coach Kevin Long have been chiming in trying to help him figure out what's not working and how to get back to being a "dude" again.
For Castellanos, it's a roll he relishes now as a veteran who has found something that has worked for him for an extended period of time.
That's why he's out there is his sleeveless Pinocchio t-shirt, which has become his early BP fit this season, and holding court with guys struggling to find their identity at the plate.
Nick Castellanos, and his batting practice Pinocchio shirt.
(Note: For what it's worth, Castellanos said not to read into anything about Pinocchio. This is just another character he likes - kind of like Scooby Doo. When I asked him if there was something deeper to it, he said, "No." When I suggested it might be related to the song "I got no strings..." or was symbolic of turning from something wooden to something real, he just laughed at the notion. I told him I was digging for a meaning. He said, "You're a journalist, that's what you do." O.K. - back to the real story...)
"It's a responsibility, right," he said. "I had guys who helped me when I was younger, so, I mean, I have to give back."
When Castellanos struggled as a young member of the Detroit Tigers, who used to lean on a handful of veterans. He pointed specifically to Torii Hunter, Ian Kinsler, Miguel Cabrera and Victor Martinez. He said, later in his career, Jason Heyward was also influential.
"Honestly, it takes a village," Castellanos said.
For several guys in the Phillies lineup, they could use all the help they can get.
