Philadelphia Phillies: Is Rhys Hoskins ready to take the next step in his career?

Optimism is a dangerous thing in the sports world.

There is no worse feeling than talking yourself into a team or a player who falls short of expectations. In my many years of watching sports, I consider myself to be a realist when evaluating teams and players. I try not to get my hopes up for something that could very possibly not happen.

When it comes to the Philadelphia Phillies, though, I continuously catch myself being overly optimistic, which has not ended well.

In the case of Phillies’ first baseman Rhys Hoskins, I have always been way too optimistic. For me, Hoskins represented the first signs of life in the organization after six years in the gutter. His debut in the second half of the 2017 season gave the fans a jolt of excitement that we hadn’t seen in years. In his 50 games in 2017, he hit 18 home runs, drove in 48 runs, and came in fourth for the rookie of the year voting, despite playing a fraction of the number of games the other candidates had played. After that, I was all in.

Is Rhys Hoskins ready to take the next step for the Philadelphia Phillies?

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What we’ve seen from Hoskins since 2018 has not exactly resembled his introduction, but there are undeniably hints of that same potential. Hoskins’ biggest problem in his career thus far has been his inconsistency. He’s as streaky as a hitter can be, but Hoskins is somehow able to showcase just how good he can be and just how bad he can be.

When Hoskins is hitting well, he gives Bryce Harper a run for his money on being the most dangerous and feared hitter in the lineup. His hot streaks are sparked by his excellent vision of the plate, rarely swinging at balls outside the zone and punishing a pitcher for leaving one in the zone. Hoskins is at his best when he’s using the whole field, rather than trying to pull to left field.

However, when Hoskins is not hitting well, he’s swinging at balls in the dirt, striking out just as much as anybody else in the league, and trying to hit a home run with seemingly every swing. Hoskins is beyond frustrating to watch when he’s in a slump, seemingly leaving the Phillies with an automatic out every time he’s up to bat.

Hoskins is 28 now, with three full seasons under his belt so far. If there will ever be a time for Hoskins to become a top-5 first baseman in the league, the time is now to start showing it. I think that Hoskins could have a very good year, barring any injury problems. People forget just how important he was to the lineup last year, especially when Harper hit into one of his slumps. After Hoskins was ruled out for the rest of the year, the lineup was left with a massive hole to fill, with which they did not fill adequately.

Rhys Hoskins has the tools to be a premier power hitter in this league. He needs to stay patient at the plate, take as many walks as he can, and use the entire field in his swing. If Hoskins follows those guidelines and finally figures his swing out at a consistent level, he and Harper will be as good of a 1-2 punch in the Philadelphia Phillies’ lineup as anywhere else.