Phillies rookie Johan Rojas has found a mentor next to him in the outfield: Nick Castellanos

A few months ago, when the Phillies were in spring training, Johan Rojas approached Nick Castellanos in the big league clubhouse. The center fielder sat in front of the right fielder, with his legs crossed, and he asked if he could ask some questions.

Castellanos was taken aback by what happened next. Rojas was a talented player, but a young player, only 22 years old. Despite that, he was asking things beyond his years.

“How do you remain consistent in the big leagues?” was one question.

“What would you tell yourself if you could go back and be my age?” was another.

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It was clear to Castellanos that Rojas didn’t just want to coast on his talent, but learn how to take it to the next level.

“He was thinking along the right lines,” Castellanos said. “It wasn’t, ‘How much does my car cost?’ And he listens, too. It might sound stupid, but in spring training he had like, six chains on. And I said, ‘Hey, man, maybe two. You know? Two.’ And the next day he came in and had two on. That’s a sign of respect. That’s a kid who has a good head on his shoulders. I’m happy he’s here.”

A relationship was born. Rojas started to pick Castellanos’ brain on all facets of the game — offense, defense, mentality — and believes that their conversations helped him have the minor league season that led to his promotion to the big leagues. And he’s still listening. When Rojas was called up on July 15, he was wearing two chains, not six. They still talk. Rojas considers Castellanos a mentor.

“He’s helped me a lot,” Rojas said of Castellanos, a 31-year-old who debuted in the majors in 2013. “He’s always giving me good advice.”

Rojas has been a big leaguer for a total of three games, but he already has a favorite memory. It wasn’t his first play as a Phillie, on Saturday, a leaping catch at the wall to rob Fernando Tatis Jr. and a throw to double up runner Ha-Seong Kim at first base. Rather, it was the moment right after that play.

Castellanos came running over to Rojas in center field and gave him a tight hug.

“Welcome to the big leagues, kid,” he told him with a smile.

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Rojas felt like he belonged.

“He and my teammates have made me feel at home here,” the rookie said. “They’ve given me unconditional support.”

Rojas hasn’t had the easiest journey. He’s from an area of the Dominican Republic — San Francisco de Macoris — that he says is not frequented by scouts. The Phillies scout who signed him, Carlos Salas Perez, said he was shocked that a player of Rojas’ caliber was still available.

He signed for $10,000 and shortly after he arrived in the United States, he suffered a back injury. He was crestfallen. It wasn’t the first impression he wanted to make. The Phillies’ minor league training staff told him he would be out for a month, but Rojas started doing his rehab exercises in his hotel room at night to hasten the process.

Two weeks later, he was back on the field. He said he has always been this way -- driven -- because of the way he was raised. His parents didn’t have much money. His father worked in a cement factory in San Francisco de Macoris. But they always found a way to give him what he needed to play the game he loved. And he hasn’t taken it for granted.

“Sometimes with young kids, their head isn’t always on as straight as it could be, through no fault of their own,” Castellanos said. “They just don’t have the proper guidance. But for him to ask all the right questions — that means he’s looking in the right direction. Sometimes that’s the hardest part with young, talented kids, is to get them to buy in.

“But he wants to be great. And he’s humble enough not to think that just because he’s talented, the game owes him anything.”

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