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CLEARWATER, Fla. — Nick Castellanos was the only regular to take the trip Saturday to Lakeland, Fla., for the Phillies’ split-squad game against the Tigers. It’s where his career began; he had not been there since 2019. He wanted to see Miguel Cabrera, who is like a big brother to him. There were some clubhouse attendants and grounds crew people he missed. It was fun.

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He arrived at BayCare Ballpark early Sunday morning. Kevin Long, the Phillies hitting coach, asked Castellanos how his Saturday went. He struck out twice and grounded out to second. Castellanos told Long the things he liked and what he felt. They had been working on two adjustments — moving up in the batter’s box and closer to the plate. Simple things.

“No doubt,” Castellanos said. “Simple things, but sometimes the game makes you complicate things.”

Long had already watched the video of Saturday’s at-bats. “Hey,” Long said Sunday morning, “I think we can get even closer.” Castellanos was listening.

“How many times do you feel like a fastball in the zone has been blown by you?” Long asked.

“Not very many,” Castellanos said.

“How many times do you feel like you’ve expanded off the plate because you feel like you need to attack away?” Long asked.

“A lot,” Castellanos said.

So, in the fifth inning Sunday against the Twins when Castellanos drove a 94 mph sinker that was on the inner half of the plate to the opposite field for a two-run homer, it was enlightening. He was closer to the plate, but still able to handle an inside fastball with two strikes. Now, it was thrown by a 27-year-old former 19th-round pick who has not been above Triple A, but it was something.

Castellanos, afterward, reveled in the idea of making a morning adjustment that showed immediate results that afternoon. Maybe he was exaggerating.

“Yeah, I didn’t hear that,” Phillies manager Rob Thomson said. “That could have happened. But he does look a lot better. So far, he’s letting the ball travel. He’s staying back. He’s not going out and trying to catch it out front. He looks like he did two years ago.”

You know what we love to see? Casty homers pic.twitter.com/ttcrjZX21B

— Philadelphia Phillies (@Phillies) February 26, 2023

Castellanos, who turns 31 next week, was careful not to make grand conclusions. “There’s no like, one secret thing right now,” he said. The adjustments are logical.

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Teams attacked Castellanos with breaking balls down and away. He could not resist chasing them. What does being closer to the plate do? “Not feel like I have to attack the outside corner as much,” Castellanos said. And what does moving up in the box, closer to the mound, do?

He laughed.

“Just to get that slider a little bit higher,” Castellanos said.

Maybe it’ll work. Maybe not. But he is more relaxed. That, for Castellanos, is most important.

Cooking on the bases

Trea Turner drew a walk to begin his first spring with the Phillies. And, when he reached first base, there were two oven mitts waiting for him.

“I despise it,” Turner said.

Why?

“Because it’s stupid,” Turner said.

Turner has always worn a sliding mitt on his left hand. But, last postseason, he jammed a finger on his right hand into first base diving back on a pickoff attempt. He fractured his right index finger in 2019. He suffered another fracture on his left knuckle when sliding in 2021.

So, the Phillies have asked him to wear the double oven mitts.

“I’m not too happy about it,” Turner said. “But I think it’s something I kind of need to do and conceded with the training staff.”

His fingers are fine now. It’s just to prevent future injuries. After he scored a run in the first inning, he immediately removed one of the mitts. “I hate it,” he said. He was able to put both of the mitts on without assistance from first-base coach Paco Figueroa.

“But,” Turner said, “I mean, if he wants to be a nice guy, then yeah, he can help out.”

The oven mitts will help, but so will Major League Baseball’s rules that limit pickoff attempts. Turner said he dove back into second base more in 2022 than in his entire career. The PitchCom device — worn by infielders, along with the pitcher and catcher — made coordinating pickoffs to second easier. That meant more wear and tear on Turner’s body.

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He’s also wearing the expanded C-flap on his helmet this spring for the first time.

“I’ll stick with another thing to stay on the field,” Turner said. “If it’s there, use it.”

Turner had 708 plate appearances last season with the Dodgers. The Phillies would be cool with that number repeating in 2023.

Hot Corner Stubbs

Last week, during some routine infield drills, Garrett Stubbs ditched his catcher’s gear and stood at third base. He likes to joke around, but this was serious. Sort of. He took groundballs. He made some good throws. He made some bad ones. He missed a grounder and pretended to chuck his glove.

Well, sometime in March, Stubbs is going to be a third baseman.

He is playing for Team Israel in the World Baseball Classic. Israel has another catcher, Ryan Lavarnway, and they aren’t exactly a team with an abundance of big-league players. So, Israel manager Ian Kinsler reached out to Thomson with the idea before spring training. Thomson said he was fine with it.

Stubbs shrugged. Whatever they want.

“I was doing pretty good over there in practice,” Stubbs said. “I have played second before. Just never third base. But I watch all these super athletes play out there in the field. I’m just trying to look like half of what they do. I think I’d be all right.”

He was half-serious. Maybe.

Fast friends

Thirteen days into his time in Florida, Bryson Stott tried to estimate how many times he had played golf with Turner, his new double-play partner.

“I don’t want to say eight,” Stott said. “But probably around eight.”

This was by design. Well, for one, Stott likes to golf. But he wanted to spend time away from the ballpark with Turner.

“We’ve been golfing and stuff like that because, obviously, you’re going to have the relationship on the field,” Stott said. “But it’s the one off the field that takes stuff to the next level. He’s great.”

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Turner has logged parts of eight seasons in the majors. Stott was a rookie last season. “I’m not really that much older,” said Turner, 29. He’s right. Only four years. They have enough in common.

“It’s been good getting to know him,” Turner said. “He’s a smart kid. He knows what he’s doing. He knows where he’s going. He knows why he’s doing things. And it’s nice to talk to him and to hear that.

“For a guy that only had one full season under his belt, he seems like he’s got a real grasp on it. So I like it.”

Random observations

Rhys Hoskins: Phillies officials were asked numerous times before camp opened and once it started about whether there were any offseason surgeries or injury limitations. So, it’s a little odd that Hoskins underwent surgery in mid-December to repair his right meniscus, and that revelation came Sunday only when reporters asked why Hoskins was not slated to play Monday after sitting the first two days. “Just wear and tear from last year,” Thomson said. The team said Hoskins was cleared for full activity at the beginning of camp, but he will miss the first week of games. Something to monitor.

Scott Kingery: It’s spring training, so it is dangerous to be fooled by Kingery because that is what’s happened before in spring training. So, the initial returns this spring are just that. Pieces to consider. He sounds more confident. He has a clearer idea at the plate. He is not guaranteed money to play baseball beyond 2023, and that can be motivating. It would not be surprising to see him fill a bench role at some point this season.

Andrew Baker: It looks legit. A 99 mph fastball with a slick slider and, now, a 93 mph cutter to slide between those pitches. And it’s not even March. Baker, who turns 23 next month, could be a bullpen factor in the summer.

(Top photo of Nick Castellanos: Nathan Ray Seebeck / USA Today)

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