Turner hits ground running in Phillies debut
CLEARWATER, Fla. — Nick Castellanos swore the thought to maneuver nearer to the plate and additional up within the batter’s field got here Sunday morning at BayCare Ballpark, following a dialog with Phillies hitting coach Kevin Long.
A number of hours later, Castellanos hit an opposite-field two-run dwelling run to proper subject.
The homer occurred after Trea Turner singled, stole second base and scored in his first plate look in his first Grapefruit League sport with the Phillies in a 10-8 victory over the Twins. Turner additionally singled to plate a run within the second. It was a soon-to-be-forgotten Spring Training sport, however Turner’s possible affect atop the lineup and Castellanos’ potential resurgence had been on show Sunday.
“Our potential is really, really high,” Castellanos mentioned. “But [potential] only matters if you reach it. If we click on all cylinders, we can be really good.”
“I think we’re going to be dangerous when we get everybody going,” Turner mentioned.
The Phillies haven’t had a participant with a .301 or higher batting common and a .486 or higher slugging proportion over a 650-game span since Chase Utley (.301 batting common, .530 slugging proportion) from 2006-10.
Phillies followers are enthusiastic about it. They are shopping for Turner jerseys and T-shirts on the staff’s retailer at Citizens Bank Park at a Bryce Harper-like clip.
Turner jerseys are the staff’s No. 2 vendor, behind Harper. Turner T-shirts are No. 1, accounting for 70 p.c of T-shirt gross sales.
He obtained a pleasant ovation Sunday from Phillies followers. Before they may get snug of their seats, he singled, donned sliding mitts and began to run. The speedy Turner led baseball with 149 stolen bases over the previous 5 seasons. He might doubtlessly swipe much more luggage this yr due to MLB’s greater bases and the new rule that limits pickoff makes an attempt.
Perhaps with that in thoughts, however definitely as a result of Turner has jammed and damaged fingers up to now, the Phillies athletic coaching workers advisable that Turner put on sliding mitts on each palms.
“I despise them,” Turner mentioned. “It’s silly. You’re biting your palms and your first-base coach has that can assist you placed on the gloves. I don’t prefer it. I’m not too completely satisfied about it, however I feel it’s one thing I must do and conceded with the coaching workers [to do]. Last yr, in my second-to-last playoff sport in San Diego, I dove again and jammed my finger. The fingers are advantageous. Nothing is bothering me. It’s simply extra so going ahead.”
Castellanos slashed .263/.305/.389 with 13 dwelling runs, 62 RBIs and a career-low .694 OPS final season. He wasn’t completely satisfied for lots of causes. He definitely wasn’t snug. But he entered camp with a refreshed mindset. Maybe the swagger is again.
“I feel like I’m in a more relaxed spot at the plate,” Castellanos mentioned.
He definitely is nearer to it.
“[Long] asked me, ‘How many times do you feel a fastball in the zone has been blown by you?’” Castellanos mentioned. “I said ‘Not very many.’ Then he said, ‘How many times do you feel like you’ve expanded off the plate because you feel like you need to attack away?’ I said a lot. … I don’t feel like I have to attack the outside corner as much.”
And transferring up within the field?
“Just to get that slider a little bit higher,” he mentioned, smiling. “Obviously it’s Day 1. There’s no one secret thing. Simple things, but sometimes the game makes you complicate things.”
It might be a very long time earlier than everyone will get to see what this lineup might do collectively. Harper may not return from Tommy John surgical procedure till June or July. The remainder of the projected Opening Day lineup isn’t anticipated to be collectively for some time, too. Rhys Hoskins has not performed this spring as he works his method again from a meniscectomy on his proper knee in December, although he might play as early as Friday. Turner, Kyle Schwarber and J.T. Realmuto go away early subsequent week to play for Team USA on the World Baseball Classic.
But Sunday supplied a glimpse of what may be. Spring is a time to be optimistic, proper?
“It’s a long lineup, and there’s a lot of damage out there,” supervisor Rob Thomson mentioned.
