Phillies’ Rob Thomson explains why the scuffling Nick Castellanos is still batting third

There is no denying that Nick Castellanos isn’t hitting the ball very hard this season. As of Saturday, he ranks in the 32nd percentile in MLB in average exit velocity (88.2 mph) and in the 23rd percentile in hard-hit percentage (35.3%). It’s not what you want from a player making $100 million over five years.

And it’s a stark contrast from what Castellanos has done in previous seasons. In 2021, the ball was coming off his bat at an average of 89.8 mph with a nearly 47% hard-hit percentage. The year before, he averaged 91 mph with a 46% hard-hit percentage. He’s hit more singles (61) than anything else in 2022 (20 doubles, no triples, and eight home runs, with 95 strikeouts). So why is he still batting third? And what would it take for interim manager Rob Thomson to move him down in the lineup?

While the right fielder isn’t hitting the ball hard as often as he was in the past, he still hits it hard once or twice a game. And if keeps doing that, Thomson will keep him hitting high in the lineup.

“Yeah, we’re looking for him to drive the ball,” Thomson said Saturday, “because that’s what he’s always done. He’s always been a really good hitter, a slug guy, so that’s what we’re looking for. As long as he continues to hit the ball once or twice hard every night, I have confidence that it’s going to come back. And he’s been pretty much doing that. He had bullet up the middle right at the second baseman last night, but I expect him to get going at some point, for sure.”

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There are some promising signs. For the month of July, Castellanos is averaging an 88.9 mph exit velocity, and from July 11-22, he is averaging 92.1 mph. We’ll see if that trend continues. If it doesn’t, we could see some reshuffling in the batting order.

“He went through a stretch there where he was chasing and hitting a lot of balls off the end of the bat because he was getting out front,” Thomson said of Castellanos’ at-bats. “It looks like he’s staying back a little bit more now and using the field and using the barrel of his bat, so I’m hoping that this turns into a good run and he gets on a real streak here.”

Right-handed reliever Sam Coonrod made his first outing of his rehab assignment Friday in Clearwater, Fla., and came out of it well. He pitched an inning, allowing one hit, no earned runs, and no walks with two strikeouts. Thomson said Coonrod was throwing in the 96-99 mph range. The tentative plan for now is for Coonrod to pitch Sunday in Clearwater and then move up to triple-A Lehigh Valley.

Thomson doesn’t believe that Coonrod will necessarily need all 30 days of his rehab assignment. Coonrod was placed on the injured list on April 7, retroactive to April 4, with a right shoulder strain, but has thrown in a “a lot” of game-like situations, according to Thomson.

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“He’s thrown a lot of BPs and a lot of sim games and things like that,” Thomson said. “We’ll wait and see. Last night was a good indication that he’s comfortable and he’s confident. He’s throwing strikes. If he can do that, he’s a guy.”

Coonrod was used in some higher-leverage situations last season and could be used in those situations at some point this year, but likely not right away.

“I don’t know. We’ll see,” Thomson said of Coonrod’s usage in big spots. “But I’ve seen guys come back off of injury and step right in and not miss a beat. Some guys take a little bit longer. It’s hard to say. We’ll try to ease him in a little bit and gauge it with our eyes.”