Nick Castellanos asked the Phillies for something he might not want to see. Last week, tensions flared when Phillies manager Rob Thomson removed Castellanos late in a game for defensive reasons. This upset Castellanos and led to a one-game benching after he made an inappropriate comment.
What could have been a major controversy instead showed Castellanos’ professionalism and maturity. Rather than reacting negatively or making a public fuss, the veteran took the constructive route. According to Lochlahn March of The Philadelphia Inquirer, Castellanos requested access to the team’s defensive reports to better understand the metrics they use—and hopefully improve his defense.
Despite making a game-saving catch after his suspension, Castellanos isn’t exactly favored by defensive analytics. By eye, he’s a steady defender who reliably makes plays within his reach, as shown by his streak of 414 errorless games.
While the Phillies’ internal data isn’t public, Statcast provides advanced metrics that reveal Castellanos’ defensive limitations. In fielding run value (FRV), which measures overall defensive performance with 0 as average, Castellanos ranks last among qualified right fielders in the majors, posting a -9—the lowest score of any player. His -7 Outs Above Average (OAA), which gauges range, is also the worst among right fielders.
A key defensive metric is an outfielder’s “jump,” measuring the first three seconds of movement toward the ball. Castellanos scores -1.3 here (0 is average), with an above-average initial reaction (0.7) but poor burst (-1.7) and route efficiency (-0.3).
For context, other Phillies outfielders rank better: Johan Rojas is well above average, while Brandon Marsh and Max Kepler rate slightly below average—but still better than Castellanos.
Though Castellanos deserves credit for seeking to improve, he’s 33 and not getting faster. Given these metrics, Rojas is likely to remain the preferred defender, and Thomson will continue making defensive substitutions when necessary.
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