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Rhys Hoskins had an underrated year for the Phillies in the summer of 2021, as he carried the team offensively through much of the early season. Dating to his debut year in the league, 2017, Philadelphia fans came to expect a lot from Hoskins at the plate. Rhys set a record in his rookie season for the most home runs over the fewest amount of games for a player entering the league. Though the Phillies were in rough shape that year, Hoskins launched 18 homers over a 34-game stretch through the late summer to make a name for himself in this town.
2018 and ‘19 brought a 34-homer season and a 29-homer season, respectively for the Phillies everyday first baseman. But toward the back end of 2019 and into the Covid year, 2020, Hoskins began seriously struggling at the plate. By the end of ‘19 his average had dropped to .226, though he hit with power early on, and carried a poor average into next season. There were concerns with Hoskins’ upward swing plane and the Phillies knew they needed him back on track at the plate to see any sort of offensive proficiency in ‘21.
Hoskins put the doubters to rest in the early part of ‘21 as he was a crucial piece in the center of the lineup. Hoskins’ walk-rate dropped, paired with a cleaner swing, as he became more aggressive offensively and his numbers showed. He posted 27 HR and 71 RBI over 107 games (roughly ⅔ of the season). Hoskins entered an IL stint as the team got hot in August, and soon was out for the year to get repair surgery for an abdominal tear. It was a hefty blow to the Phillies lineup, as they fell from first place and weren’t able to recover offensively. Hoskins came up big this year several times, most notably, with his two-homer game in Colorado in April and near game-tying RBI ground-rule double against the Mets at home. Hoskins was never touted for his defensive play with several costly errors each season, but it was evident the Phillies needed his bat while they had it this year.
Hoskins is 28 now and approaching a contract year, currently on the books for only $4.8M. Rhys has really grown into a leader for this clubhouse, but due to offensive inconsistency, defensive incompetence, and the money, it’s likely the Phillies and Hoskins will part ways.
It’s a shame that Rhys struggles so much on defense, as he could likely command a lot more money for his presence. I’m interested to see where he’ll end up next, as judging from your article I’m sensing there could be potential at another team with a more stable foundation. Nice job breaking down the statistics. The book Moneyball really opened my eyes to how important statistics are when evaluating the strength of players in baseball.
Hello again! I think your knowledge of the sport is very clear and I am once again very impressed by the way you talk about these players in such a concise way. I still don’t know much about baseball which does leave me wondering what the abbreviation “RBI” means (although there is a chance you might already have covered that in an earlier post). Hoskins’ abdomen tear sounds brutal, and I am glad to read that he has been able to recover from it and continue playing as well as ever. It is sad to hear that there is a chance that he will no longer be a part of the Phillies.
Great job on your post! You gave a very thorough picture of the player and did a really nice job providing statistics in a very organized way! I’m interested to see where Hoskins goes in his career!