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Phillies’ Nick Castellanos Explains Why Every Baseball Player Is Either Milk or Wine

“You’re either milk or you’re wine. There’s no in the middle.”

Karl Rasmussen

Phillies’ Nick Castellanos Explains Why Every Baseball Player Is Either Milk or Wine
Phillies’ Nick Castellanos Explains Why Every Baseball Player Is Either Milk or Wine /
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Philadelphia Phillies star Nick Castellanos is gearing up for the 2024 MLB season, which will be his third in Philadelphia and 12th in the majors.

Although only 32, Castellanos is one of MLB’s oldest everyday starters. Last season, he featured in 157 games for the Phillies, and he’ll look to offer that same level of consistency and durability in 2024.

During a conversation with Matt Gelb of The Athletic, Castellanos discussed how he views aging in MLB, likening it to two common beverages: wine and milk.

“There’s a lot of baseball players that are like milk,” Castellanos said. “Milk is only good when it’s fresh. And then as you leave it out a while, it spoils. There are some other baseball players that are like wine. … Those are the only two kinds. You’re either milk or you’re wine. There’s no in the middle.”

Castellanos hopes to age more like wine than milk and continue to play at a high level throughout the duration of his current contract. He has three more years left on the five-year, $100 million deal he signed with the Phillies in 2022, and he’s under contract through the ’26 season. 

MLB fans appreciated Castellanos’s comparison, and they had plenty of jokes about his thoughts on aging.

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Karl Rasmussen
KARL RASMUSSEN

Karl Rasmussen is a staff writer for the Breaking and Trending News team for Sports Illustrated. A University of Oregon alum who joined SI in February 2023, his work has appeared on 12up and ClutchPoints. Rasmussen is a loyal Tottenham, Jets, Yankees and Ducks fan.

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