Philadelphia Phillies right fielder Nick Castellanos had a fiery exchange with a reporter after a loss to the Chicago Cubs Saturday night.
Castellanos, who hasn’t had a hit all series long against Chicago, signed on to a ginormous five-year $100 million dollar contract with Philadelphia back in March and has struggled ever since.
Phillies’ insider Jim Salisbury of NBC Sports Philadelphia asked the former all-star in Saturday’s postgame presser if he heard the boos directed towards him from the Philly crowd during the 6-2 loss. Things got confrontational when Castellanos replied sarcastically “No, man. I lost my hearing. Come on man, that’s a stupid question.” Salisbury fired back “It’s a stupid question you should be equipped to answer.”
Things got a bit contentious in the #Phillies clubhouse tonight during and after Nick Castellanos’ media availability and our @6abc cameras were there. Thoughts on this exchange? pic.twitter.com/DcqmbIpz2e
— Jamie Apody (@JamieApody) July 24, 2022
Castellanos knows he’s been playing poorly and his frustrations have finally boiled over. This season the 30-year-old outfielder has a batting average of .245 with only 8 home runs and 46 RBIs, according to baseball reference. He has played drastically worse than last season. In 2021, Castellanos’ batting average was a solid .309 with 34 home runs and 100 RBIs.
It’s safe to claim that the player Castellanos was with the Cincinnati Reds a year ago is much different than the player he has become since joining the Philadelphia Phillies this season. (RELATED: ‘It Wasn’t My Choice’: NBA Star Andrew Wiggins Says He Wishes He Never Got Covid Vaccine)
It’s not a great look for Castellanos to be rude to a reporter who is just doing his job. If you don’t appreciate the boo’s coming in from your home crowd, the only thing you can do is play better.