That Balls Outta Here
FanSided

Three Phillies prospects ranked among International League’s best

By John Town

PHILADELPHIA, PA - SEPTEMBER 18: J.P. Crawford #2 of the Philadelphia Phillies hive fives his teammates in the dugout after throwing out Yasiel Puig #66 of the Los Angeles Dodgers (NOT PICTURED) in the top of the eighth inning at Citizens Bank Park on September 18, 2017 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Phillies defeated the Dodgers 4-3. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)
PHILADELPHIA, PA - SEPTEMBER 18: J.P. Crawford #2 of the Philadelphia Phillies hive fives his teammates in the dugout after throwing out Yasiel Puig #66 of the Los Angeles Dodgers (NOT PICTURED) in the top of the eighth inning at Citizens Bank Park on September 18, 2017 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Phillies defeated the Dodgers 4-3. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images) /
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PHILADELPHIA, PA – SEPTEMBER 14: Rhys Hoskins #17 of the Philadelphia Phillies watches the ball as he hits a town run home run in the second inning against the Miami Marlins at Citizens Bank Park on September 14, 2017 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Drew Hallowell/Getty Images) /

1B/LF Rhys Hoskins

Hoskins was the highest-ranked Phillie on the list, coming in at No. 3 behind only Atlanta’s Ronald Acuna and the White Sox Yoan Moncada. Hoskins was also named the International League MVP by BA.

In 115 Triple-A games this year, Hoskins hit 29 home runs, drove in 91 runs, and finished his stint there with a .284/.385/.581 line. Since being promoted to the majors he has been unstoppable, hitting 18 home runs in 39 games with a 1.167 OPS.

Carlos Collazo had the following to say about Hoskins: ($)

"A year after cracking 38 home runs in Double-A, Hoskins continued to rake as the IL’s top power hitter. He was leading the league with 29 home runs when the Phillies called him up on Aug. 10 and finished as the IL leader for on-base percentage (.385), slugging (.581) and RBIs (91). In the majors, he became the fastest player ever to reach 10 homers—just 17 games. Evaluators were impressed with Hoskins’ approach at the plate, both in terms of feel for the strike zone—a career low 16 percent strikeouts—and ability to make adjustments. The advanced timing in his load alleviated previous concerns he would only be a mistake hitter. His power should play as plus-plus because he drives the ball to all fields. Cited as being anywhere from adequate to a good defender at first base, Hoskins lacks the fluidity and athleticism to be an impact glove at his natural position or in left field."

Along with the rankings, Collazo also interacted with readers in a chat room about the list. Naturally, at least one question about Hoskins was asked:

"Mike (Toronto): Rhys Hoskins justly has been getting a ton of press post-promotion, based on his home run tear. I surprisingly never see any comments on actual math of his total damange - the fact he hammered 29 HRs in the minors too, bringing him to 47 YTD! Who was the last guy to hit 50 HRs with at least 20 in each of MilB and MLB in the same year?? That's amazing! Carlos Collazo: Yep, the guy has gone crazy. It’s impressive to watch. I don’t know the best way to search that specific question off the top of my head but it’s one to look into. One of the exciting things for Phillies fans is that Hoskins’ ability to make adjustments was praised from managers in the IL. Previously there were concerns that he would only be able to consistently punish mistakes, but that definitely doesn’t seem to be the case anymore."

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