Philadelphia Phillies outfielder Nick Castellanos has improved his plate discipline this season. He has helped the Phillies have the fourth-best walk rate in the majors so far in 2025. Last season, the Phillies had an 8.4% walk rate which ranked as the eighth best in MLB. This season, they have a 10.2% walk rate. Castellanos has also helped the team improve its strikeout rate. Last season, the Phillies had a 22.2% strikeout rate, 14th best in MLB. This season, it’s down to 20.5%, which ranks as the ninth best. Across the board, the Phillies are more disciplined at the plate this year, which is a fantastic sign. The team has a .339 OBP, ranking third in baseball behind the New York Yankees and the Seattle Mariners.

Nick Castellanos opens things up for the @Phillies with a 3-run homer! pic.twitter.com/UxEBVpSnXv

https://twitter.com/MLB/status/1919924001746432347?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1919924001746432347%7Ctwgr%5E2a9cf42601fdd0d3bc723b2db6e741383af3ceb9%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Flastwordonsports.com%2Fbaseball%2F2025%2F05%2F07%2Fphillies-nick-castellanos-improved-plate-discipline%2F

Castellanos has been the subject of trade rumors during the offseason for the last few years. However, the team has not moved on from him yet and he is rewarding them. Castellanos has been filling the void left by the lack of offensive production at the start of the season from Alec Bohm and Trea Turner from the right side of the plate. While those two have started to turn things around at the plate as of late, it is important for the Phillies to get offensive production from their right-handed hitters to help out Bryce Harper and Kyle Schwarber. Harper and Schwarber are the Phillies two best hitters, and both are left-handed. In a Phillies lineup loaded with lefties, especially at the top, it is important for the right-handed bats to provide balance.

Nick Castellanos Has Improved Plate Discipline

Early Season Performance

Castellanos has a .288/.336/.455 line with four home runs and 21 RBI in 35 games. He has a 119 wRC+ with a .347 wOBA and a .333 BABIP as well. Castellanos has a 18.9% strikeout rate and a 6.3% walk rate this season. While others in the Phillies outfield got off to slow starts, Castellanos has been good at the plate. He has a career-best 6.6% soft contact rate this season. For comparison, he’s got a career-high 60.4% medium contact rate and a 33.0% hard contact rate. His 9.4% barrel rate and 44.3% HardHit rate have both improved compared to 2024. Castellanos has similar numbers to his excellent 2021 season thus far.

Changes Relative To Previous Seasons

So far, Castellanos has the best strikeout rate he has had in a season with at least 100 plate appearances. Last season, he had a 21.1% strikeout rate which was down from 27.6% in 2023. Castellanos had a 6.2% walk rate last season and a 5.4% walk rate two years ago. His current rate of 6.3% is his best since the 2021 season. Castellanos has his best OBP (.336) since the 2021 season as well. In 2024, Castellanos had a 58.0% swing rate and a 72.2% contact rate. This season, he has raised those to a 55.9% swing rate and a 74.8% contact rate. Max Kepler is on a roll at the plate right now because of similar improvements. Castellanos maintaining these improvements might lead to an All-Star season.

Photo Credit: © Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images