The Phillies have locked up a first-round bye and will start their run for the World Series trophy on Saturday, October 5th at Citizens Bank Park.

This is the best Phillies team of the last three years, and it’s not really close. The starting rotation is lethal, the bullpen is elite, and the lineup is deep. They have guys off of the bench that can get hits. Everything is there for the Phillies. The test, which they’ve failed the last two years, is consistent hitting throughout the entire playoffs.

The biggest X-Factor this October is Nick Castellanos. The $100M right-fielder has had a really impressive second-half, slashing .286/.343/.489 for an .832 OPS over 63 games since the mid-summer classic. Castellanos hit just .233 in his first 96 games of 2024, but has really turned it on over the last two and a half months.

Phillies fans (for the most part) have finally accepted who Castellanos is. He’s not going to have a season-long OPS over .900. That’s not the type of hitter he is. He’s going to strike out, although he has dropped his total by nearly 50 from last year. He’s going to swing at those down and away sliders. But with that comes his ability to change a game with one swing of the bat.

Castellanos had some awesome moments last playoffs, most notably four homers in 24 hours against the Atlanta Braves. Even with that, he still hit just .213 throughout 13 games in October with 14 strikeouts. He hit just .185 back in 2022 with 12 hits to 18 strikeouts.


If this team is going to hoist their first trophy since 2008, Castellanos has to continue to hit like his 2nd-half self. He’s slugging .482 in September, while hitting .333/.390/.611 over his last 15 games with 18 hits, 4 homers, and 8 RBIs. He’s found a home in the 5-hole, which is where he’ll hit in the postseason.

Nick Castellanos in 2024:

  • Batting 2nd: .154/.214/.308
  • Batting 4th: .200/.282/.343
  • Batting 5th: .306/.341/.546
  • Batting 6th: .250/.311/.372
  • Batting 7th: .242/.312/.404

The key to Castellanos’ success is jumping early in counts. Castellanos is slashing .360/.373/.588 with a .961 OPS and 41 hits on the first pitch of the at-bat this season. He’s hitting .377 on an 0-1 count, and .323 on a 1-0 count. Once he gets to two strikes? .152/.221/.238 with a .459 OPS.

When Nick Castellanos gets on base, the Phillies win games… it’s as simple as that. Castellanos is slashing .286/.352/.499 with an .851 OPS in the Phillies wins this season, compared to just .206/.245/.325 with a whopping .570 OPS in losses.

Castellanos has started 159 games for the Phillies this season, and will become the first Phillie since Jimmy Rollins in 2007 to start 162 regular season games in one season once the Nationals series is wrapped up. It’s a grind, and he knows it more than anyone. But it’s rewarding. Only a handful of players will do it in 2024, and for a guy that struggled early as much as Castellanos did, it speaks to his work ethic, attitude, and love for the game.

Kyle Schwarber is Mr. October. We’ve seen how many big home runs he can hit once the lights get brighter. Bryce Harper has hit .324 in his first two postseasons with the Phillies, crushing 11 home runs and 21 RBIs in those 30 games. Trea Turner is a completely different baseball player compared to last year. Alec Bohm has taken a huge step forward.

Those guys are going to get on base. Nick Castellanos has arguably the most important job out of anyone by getting them in. If he’s hitting up to his ability, there’s not an offense in this league that touches the Phillies.