Phillies: Rhys Hoskins Named No. 9 First-Base Prospect by MLB.com
By John Town
In their continuing series of ranking the top prospects at each position, MLB.com ranked Phillies first-base prospect the No. 9 1B in all of baseball.
Phillies prospect Rhys Hoskins has hit at every level since being drafted in 2014, and the national media is starting to notice. MLB.com named Hoskins the No. 9 first-base prospect in all of baseball on Friday.
This ranking came off a 2016 season that saw Hoskins demolish the Eastern League with Double-A Reading. He finished the year with a .943 OPS, 159 wRC+, 12.1% walk rate, and 21.2% strikeout rate. Hoskins drove in 116 runs and cranked 38 home runs, second only to Reading teammate Dylan Cozens.
This is what MLB.com had to say about Hoskins altogether:
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"There comes a point in time when you have to pay attention to a college hitter who keeps hitting at every level. After a tremendous first full season in 2015, Hoskins kept going with a move to Double-A in 2016, when the Sacramento State product finished second in the Minor Leagues in home runs to teammate Dylan Cozens and third in RBIs.Hoskins provides an advanced approach at the plate with considerable raw power from the right side. An added leg kick has helped his timing and allowed him to tap into that power more consistently. While he does strike out a bit, he also draws a ton of walks, helping him maintain a solid batting average. His home run numbers may have been helped a bit by the friendly confines of Reading, but Hoskins wasn’t a slouch on the road, either. Hoskins is limited to first base defensively, but he is capable there.The Phillies have another right-handed first baseman blocking Hoskins’ path to the big leagues in Tommy Joseph, so Hoskins can get more development time in the upper levels of the system, but his bat should be able to contribute soon."
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The Phils drafted Hoskins out of Sacramento State in 2014. He started off slow, but rounded out the season well with a .816 OPS in the last month of the season. Hoskins then slugged his way through two levels in 2015, hitting 17 home runs with a .319/.395/.518 line between Low-A Lakewood and High-A Clearwater.
After his monster offensive season in 2016, Hoskins, along with Cozens and Ben Lively, received the Paul Owens Award for the best prospects in the system in 2016.
Baseball America liked what they saw from Hoskins in 2016 as well, ranking him as the No. 6 prospect in Philadelphia’s system. Ben Badler said, “Those who like him see a hitter with plus power, a sound swing path, good timing, the bat speed to catch up to quality fastballs and a smart plan at the plate.”
Next: Alfaro Named 3rd-Best Catching Prospect by MLB.com
MLB.com will continue to release their rankings from each position, and expect a few more Phils prospects to place on those lists before it’s all said and done.