Bench Crew: Josh Bell/Rhys Hoskins
It’s difficult to place these two above the three talented outfielders, as two are Rookie of the Year winners and one is a productive outfielder for a team that made it to the playoffs.
That doesn’t mean that both shouldn’t be coined as talented rookies. Many will likely argue that Bell and Hoskins are actually better than the player in their position – Yuli Gurriel won the outright first base spot.
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Yes, Bell did finish the regular season with a higher WAR than Gurriel. But his offensive numbers do were not as impressive as Gurriel’s. He also didn’t contribute to a team that made the postseason, which counts.
Look at the comparison between the two (BA/OBP/SLG/OPS):
Bell: .255/.334/.466/.800 with 26 doubles, 26 home runs and 90 RBIs in 549 at-bats
Gurriel: .299/.332/.486/.817 with 43 doubles, 18 home runs and 75 RBIs in 529 at-bats
Hoskins could make a much better argument than Bell because he was arguably the most dominant rookie based on the amount of plate appearances.
Just three players with more than 150 at-bats posted an OPS higher than 1.000: Hoskins, Matt Olson and Judge. Hoskins’ skill set goes beyond his power though, as his plate discipline is also above-average. He compiled 37 walks compared to 46 strikeouts.
The Phillies first baseman also generated more runs than any of his teammates during August and September.
Next: Where will Sabathia land in the offseason?
Expect these two players to only get better moving forward.