This is a depressing day.
In Philadelphia, Rhys Hoskins represented baseball hope for two years. He collaborated with Bryce Harper for four years to establish the Phillies as a premier team. Because he damaged his knee during spring training, the Phillies missed out on winning a second straight pennant this year.
The Phillies made an easy decision because they managed to win without him and with Harper starting at first base. Harper is a 31-year-old player whose excellent arm in right field was surgically fixed a year ago, meaning it may never be as good as it was. Harper has been persuaded to play first base exclusively by the Phillies. Hoskins is not restricted. The Phillies will not be able to afford Hoskins’ asking price, which will be high given his skill as a right-handed hitter who averaged 36 home runs per 162 games and a.846 OPS. President Dave Dombrowski made this announcement to media on Wednesday.
It’s highly likely that they will surpass the luxury tax threshold for a third year in a row. For the majority of his career, Hoskins has been a slaughter at first base, and when the upcoming season begins, he probably won’t be much better thanks to a repaired knee that is 31 years old. Only Kyle Schwarber, the team’s home run hitter, can be afforded to be an offense-only player. Teams will be lining up to sign a customized designated hitter such as Hoskins. I wish he would win $200 million so he could return to California.
The Phillies have greatly valued him.
Hoskins was an afterthought in the spring of 2017 amid a seemingly abundant crop of potential. Charlie Manuel, the hitting guru, and I once watched shortstop J.P. Crawford, catcher Jorge Alfaro, outfielder Dylan Cozens, and Hoskins take batting practice together on the back field at the Carpenter Complex. Among the four, only Cozens was ranked lower than Hoskins, but Hoskins ended up being the only member of the Fab Four to actually contribute to the effort that elevated the Phillies to the top of the baseball standings.
He emerged as Maikel Franco’s intended lineup anchor.
Under the direction of Rob Thomson, Gabe Kapler, Joe Girardi, and Pete Mackanin, he flourished.
He introduced us to Jayme, his girlfriend, fiancée, and eventually wife, who became as much a part of the Phillies fan base as many of the players. He introduced us to both Rookie, his first dog, and Mae, his replacement.
Harper was persuaded to visit Philadelphia by his charisma, strength, and presence. Now that Hoskins was in position, Harper could delegate all critical and consequential moments to him. Harper referred to him as the team captain for this reason.
Philly became a destination once Harper and Hoskins moved here. Realmuto J.T. remained. It was Zack Wheeler. Trea Turner, Nick Castellanos, and Schwarber all did the same. Hoskins wasn’t as well-known as any of them, but he represented the ballclub and his community as well as his clubhouse.
He performed this with incredible grace and elegance.
As the team’s spokesperson during Odúbel Herrera’s domestic abuse scandal, Hoskins informed both the public and the brass that Herrera was not welcome back in the clubhouse right away and that, when he did return, his peers needed to know that he had changed.
Hoskins informed Kapler that he was managing people, not numbers, as he went through his growing pains as an analytics-first captain.
Thomson’s lighter hand was a much-needed corrective, as Hoskins made clear when Girardi was fired in June 2022.
And boy, did he rake—as in, right out of the gate.
In his first 18 major league games, Hoskins hit a record 11 home runs. In his 50 games as a rookie in 2017, he hit 18 home runs, which was more than any other player who had made their debut after August 1. It was a sight to behold, and a premonition of the initial part of an incredible career thus far.
In Game 3 of the NLDS, the first home playoff game for the Phillies in ten years, Hoskins also hit the most spectacular home run of the previous two seasons. That swing proved these Phillies were legitimate, especially against the Braves, who were usually the favorite.
For that moment, most people will most likely remember Hoskins. Not by me.
Four games into Harper’s first spring training with the Phillies in 2019—my favorite Hoskins moment—took place. The Blue Jays’ Trent Thornton, a triple-A pitcher, struck Harper in the ankle with a fastball. Hoskins was waiting on deck, ready to jack up Thornton should Harper show any sign of inclination, while Harper lay on the ground.
Harper wasn’t one. Hoskins took a seat.
That was the first sign that Hoskins’ stomach was on fire. Hoss had been courteous, submissive, and gentlemanly for the previous two years, but now that he had a player he had befriended and recruited for $330 million lying on the ground, he was prepared to take the field.
“I had his back,” Hoskins told me. “We’re all men here.”
The Phillies are losing a tremendous man, and it’s probably for the best. Nobody is to blame.