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I was mildly surprised the other day when the Phillies released right fielder Nick Castellanos. I only say mildly surprised because it was pretty well known that there was tension between Nick and manager Rob Thomson. Recently though, there was more clarity on how this tension developed.

Last season Rob Thomson took Castellanos out of a close game. Thomson did so for defensive reasons as Castellanos can be a bit stiff in right field and generally doesn't always have the greatest range. Well, Nick did not like this and in response to Thomson's decision Nick went and grabbed a beer that he then brought to the dugout while letting Thomson know he did not appreciate the decision/treatment. Teammates and staff prevented Nick from actually taking a sip of the beer.

This is a mildly depressing situation because I actually liked Nick as a fan. I liked Nick's intensity and when Nick got hot at the plate he was as dangerous as it gets. But I am not in the clubhouse and so what do I know, maybe he was a little too much. Well, apparently he was.

I suppose some of the downsides with Nick was that he would go cold at the plate at times and while he's tall and his strides are rather big which helps, he's a bit of an awkward, slow-ish runner. Of course his defense was not always excellent as I pointed out as well.

Overall I enjoyed watching Nick play. He was always healthy and reliable for the most part.

Nick was an All-Star for the Phillies in 2023 and in some respects his four years with the team were perhaps the best years of his thirteen year career. Here's some interesting, noteworthy facts/stats to back that up:

Nick spent four years in Philly, his next longest tenure was with the Tigers when he spent seven years there.

• Nick had 82 homers with the Phillies, he had 104 with the Tigers.
• Nick had 326 RBI with the Phillies, he had 424 with the Tigers.
• Nick had 28 stolen bases with the Phillies, he had just 11 with the Tigers.
  -That's nearly a 155% increase in stolen bases with the Phillies despite playing in 235 less games in a Phillies uniform than in a Tigers uniform.

Nick also played a full 162 games for the Phils in 2024. One of my favorite memories featuring Nick was this absolute GRAND SLAM nuke he hit against the Dodgers. It was at home, in drizzly/rainy weather against the eventual World Series champs. Nick had a lot of great moments of course.

Nick has joined the San Diego Padres where he certainly has a respectable chance at a World Series. Hopefully Nick doesn't end up torching the Phillies in the future!

Thanks for the memories Nick!!!

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As the Phillies move on from a veteran right fielder in Nick Castellanos, the Phillies look to a new center field prospect pretty much twelve years younger in Justin Crawford!

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There's a lot of hype around Crawford for the most part. Crawford is a pretty unique talent. He is very fast and can steal bases at a high level from what I can tell. He seems to be able to hit for a very good average. His swing is actually reminiscent of fellow Phillie Bryce Harper but I feel as though Crawford's power at this point in time is fairly average. But at just 22 years old I can definitely see him gaining some mass and becoming a bigger power threat down the line. Overall, Crawford has a well rounded, athletic skillset and a seriously high ceiling!!

With the Phillies being a pretty old roster, adding Crawford to the mix seems like a good idea. Can't always be scared to give younger prospects a shot! It's only healthy for the organization in general.

Justin Crawford's father is actually Carl Crawford! Carl Crawford was a big part of my baseball watching childhood and so that connection is just really fun. Carl Crawford was a four-time all-star and just ELECTRIC in his prime!

I can't wait for baseball!!! I miss having a chill game to look forward to every day!!

#GOPHILLIES

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A.D. Hammer's career rolls on!