Unlike April’s weather, Philadelphia Phillies star Rhys Hoskins wasn’t cold to begin the season. Will he need rest to stay warm?
“The importance of Rhys Hoskins to the Philadelphia Phillies success or failure cannot be overstated.” This is what I wrote on March 18. I hasten to add that I have not seen Rhys Hoskins play at all in person this season despite some personal interest in a budding superstar. He has only appeared on my TV screen and (shudder) Facebook page.
Baseball on Facebook is a matter for later, but after a couple of dismal April experiences at Philadelphia’s Citizens Bank Park, a close friend and I have sworn off early season baseball in this city. You shouldn’t shiver while watching baseball. In my opinion; you also shouldn’t drip.
Rhys Hoskins, of course, is paid to ignore temperatures and water falling from the sky, and “better he than I” is what I say. Thus, we in the warm and toasty crowd write about those who have to play in the northern U.S. in April, and it is important to review one’s grand pronouncements and see how they are holding up.
Where were the PhilaldphiaPhillies after a month, and how has Important Hoskins done since I declared him so valuable?
Before going into statistics, I’m looking at a homemade chart to discern whether manager Gabe Kapler is resting Hoskins enough. At first glance, it appears he isn’t. At second glance, that’s not clear. From March 29 through April 28, the Philadelphia Phillies played 26 games.
Rhys Hoskins was in all of them, and in for most of the game 24 or 25 times, depending on whether or coming out of a game after the sixth inning is “playing most of the game.” However, he suffered through only one mini-slump, offensively, from April 10 through April 14 against Cincinnati and Tampa Bay.
In that stretch, he had 14 plate appearances that produced only a hit and a walk. He scored just one run, on April 14. Otherwise, in April, the Philadelphia Phillies leftfielder seemed at least a lock for the All-Star game and possibly more honors at the season’s end.
A month into the 2018 season Rhys Hoskins was first in MLB in OBP at .486, 23 points ahead of the Yankees’ Aaron Judge. (All figures here preceded play on April 29.) He was only tied for 16th in RBI (19), arguably the most underrated offensive statistic, but he had also scored 16 runs (42t). In other words, he was personally touching the scoreboard 1.35 times each time he took the field.
Some of his other rankings were flashier – 5th in OPS (1.066) and tied for 9th in BA (.333). He ranked 3rd in walks (23), a statistic now studied more carefully than the Ebola virus. His walk to strikeout ratio was an exceptional 1:1.13. Overall, Hoskins either walked or struck out 45.8 percent of his trips to the plate.
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The rest of the time, he worked counts into situations that gave him very good chances of getting hits. He had eight multi-hit games and 18 multi-on-base games. Of the latter, eight were games in which he was on-base three or more times. In only two games all month had Hoskins failed to get a hit, a walk, or reach base by being hit with a pitch.
His current strikeout rate may initially seem a concern; it was 24.3 percent, almost every fourth at-bat. However, as Bob Brookover points out, the modern MLB view is that strikeouts follow working the count, a devoutly desired goal-activity. Thus, Hoskins’ manager isn’t all that concerned about that figure. His left fielder’s strikeout rate is only two percent above the MLB average this year.
The Philadelphia Phillies have a ready answer to the old school observation that nothing good can happen if the ball isn’t put into play. Right now, it’s Rhys Hoskins’ ranking in OBP. More or less, that means if he strikes out in the third inning, he’ll get on base in the sixth or ninth.
As an outfielder, Hoskins made one error in 51 total chances over his first full month in left. Had he gotten to all the balls a young Barry Bonds got to? Of course not. Few left-fielders do that. He had been, however, more than serviceable at his still new position.
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Maybe this is all why the Philadelphia Phillies aren’t yet worrying about resting a player who shouldn’t be thought of as a newcomer anymore. Unless something unforeseen happens, Rhys Hoskins is already a star.
His team was 16-10, in second place in their division after a month, and he has been a big part of that improvement over 2017.