Philadelphia Phillies: Should the team keep Rhys Hoskins? Or is it time to move on?
Perhaps the most interesting thing to keep an eye on for the Philadelphia Phillies during the 2022 offseason is how they will go about handling first basemen, Rhys Hoskins.
The fan base seems to be divided on the subject of whether it’s time to move on from Rhys or if the Phillies should stick with the slugging first basemen long term.
No one may be able to say which decision is the correct one, but an argument can be made either way. Here are three reasons why the Philadelphia Phillies should keep Rhys Hoskins and three reasons why it might be time to move on.
Why the Philadelphia Phillies should keep Rhys Hoskins.
Simply put, Rhys Hoskins is one of the best-hitting first basemen in the league.
As of today, September 16th, 2022, Rhys Hoskins ranks in the top 13 among qualified first basemen in almost every meaningful offensive stat:
— His BA sits at .245, which ranks 11th
— His OBP sits at .333, which also ranks 11th
— His SLUG sits at .452, which ranks 13th
— His WRC+ sits at 125, which once again ranks 11th, and is only 3 points away from being ranked 9th
These stats aren’t mind-blowing, but considering how much of an offensive position first base is, it’s worth noting that Hoskins can keep up with players like Matt Olson and Vladimir Guerrero. Jr.
Another positive is that his defense is surprisingly not awful.
Rhys Hoskins is a roller-coaster when it comes to his defense at 1st base; it always seems like his defense is good enough, but he’ll make a costly error when it matters most, and while this might be true, overall, his defensive numbers are not as bad as one might think.
Hoskins currently ranks 5th among qualified first basemen in DRS (Defensive runs saved). This has him tied with gold glove winner Matt Olson and is three spots ahead of 4-time gold glove winner Paul Goldschmidt.
He also ranks 9th in UZR (Ultimate Zone Rating), showing that Hoskins is one of the better first basemen when it comes to range and being able to get to a ball that others wouldn’t.
This isn’t to try and convince you that Rhys is up there with fielding wizards like Paul Goldschmidt, Freddie Freeman, or Matt Olson but to say that Hoskins is a bad defensive first baseman would be inaccurate. He needs to clean up some sloppy mistakes and play better during the later innings, but overall, Rhys Hoskins is a solid defensive first baseman.