Scooby Doo isn’t a name that pops up often when people debate superheroes. In fact, the cartoon canine’s name has probably only surfaced once in the discussion, thanks to Phillies star Nick Castellanos.
This week, Castellanos is out in Seattle enjoying the festivities of the MLB All-Star break. The Phillies right fielder was asked to provide the name of his favorite superhero and provided Scooby Doo as his answer.
That drew plenty of questions. But don’t worry, the Philadelphia phenom and two-time All-Star selection gave a great answer.
“Well, I mean, first off, he’s a dog, right? And he can talk. And he solves mysteries,” Castellanos said. “So, I think that a dog who can talk and helps people by solving mysteries, I think it’s a super hero.”
We’ll admit, Castellanos does provide some pretty good reasoning. There’s no literature that says a hero has to have super-human strength, having flying capabilities or some other unique qualifier to fit the category.
A talking dog that solves mysteries works for us!
Castellanos is enjoying a Scooby Doo-like season — now that he falls into the superhero category. The outfielder owns a .301 batting average with 104 hits, 55 RBIs and 13 home runs. He’s also cranked out an impressive 27 extra base hits through the first half of the MLB season.
This year marks the second time in his career Castellanos earned an All-Star Game invitation. He also secured a spot in 2021 as a member of the Cincinnati Reds.
The All-Star Game starts at 8 p.m. ET on FOX on Tuesday.
Can Phillies return to postseason?
While Castellanos explains his dedication to Scooby Doo as a superhero, the Philadelphia Phillies are hoping to make a run at the postseason in the second half of the year.
Despite the strong play from the outfielder, Philadelphia sits third in the NL East (behind the Atlanta Braves and Miami Marlins) and is on the outside looking in of the NL Wild Card spot.
Currently, the Phillies are a half-game behind the San Francisco Giants for that third spot.
Last year, Philadelphia snuck into the playoffs and made a run at the World Series. The Phillies lost in six games to the Houston Astros.
Philadelphia doesn’t have to make an historic run to return to the MLB playoffs this year. But they might need Castellanos to break out his Superman cape … er, umm … maybe the Mystery Machine (?) for the remainder of the season.
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