Nick Castellanos' Custom Adidas Cleats Celebrate Jon Bellion

MLB Players Weekend began in 2017, with a hiatus from 2020 to 2023 due to the pandemic shortening the 2020 season and Major League Baseball transitioning from Majestic to Nike as its uniform manufacturer.

This weekend centered on player-driven equipment, as it was intended to be returned in 2024. It starts August 15th and commences with the Little League Classic on August 17th.

Often, big brands are not rolling out special cleats for Players Weekend since their Player Exclusives or signature shoes have hit the market around Opening Day. This opportunity is wide open for custom cleats to make noise on the feet of many Major League Baseball players.

Nick Castellanos, right fielder for the Philadelphia Phillies, looked to an unconventional path for his Players Weekend theme. It started with the musician Jon Bellion and came to life with the song "Hand of God." This is not the first time Castellanos and Bellion have been tied together. Castellanos has used Bellion's songs "Father Figure", "Kid Again", and "Stupid Deep" as his walk-up songs.

The connection is spiritual and an alignment of like-minded people. Castellanos' admiration of Bellion led to a silhouette image on his adidas cleats with "Hand of God" painted on the side. The silhouette is inspired by the album art for Bellion's The Human Condition.

Players Weekend encourages MLB players to showcase their passions and inspirations. Equipment customizations usually fall in the following themes: off-field interests, causes, and appreciation. Music and art are two of Castellanos' major passions. He is an obvious fan of Bellion's music, but also the message it carries.

Castellanos worked with Backyard Bats and Bob "Bat-man" Dreisbach to give the song Hand of God the custom equipment treatment. Dreisbach has built a career as an airbrush specialist, painting goalie masks.

Backyard Bats, who also provide the wood Castellanos has been swinging with in 2025, wanted to help bring Castellanos' vision and message to life for Players Weekend. The company and Dreisbach are both based in Detroit, which happens to also be the place where Castellanos started his baseball career.

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