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Phillies: Rhys Hoskins, JoJo Romero named minor-leaguers of the year

By John Town

PHILADELPHIA, PA - SEPTEMBER 30: Rhys Hoskins #17 of the Philadelphia Phillies hits an RBI single against the New York Mets during the seventh inning of a game at Citizens Bank Park on September 30, 2017 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Rich Schultz/Getty Images)
PHILADELPHIA, PA - SEPTEMBER 30: Rhys Hoskins #17 of the Philadelphia Phillies hits an RBI single against the New York Mets during the seventh inning of a game at Citizens Bank Park on September 30, 2017 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Rich Schultz/Getty Images) /
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MLB Pipeline named Rhys Hoskins and JoJo Romero the minor-league hitter and pitcher, respectively, of the year for the Phillies.

The Phillies had several players with tremendous seasons in the minor-leagues this year, but MLB Pipeline ultimately decided Rhys Hoskins and JoJo Romero were the team’s minor-league hitter and pitcher of the year.

Hoskins had a season unlike any other this year. He started off by decimating Triple-A pitching, hitting 29 home runs in 115 games with a .966 OPS. The best part about his time in Lehigh Valley was that he did it all with tremendous plate discipline, walking in 13.5 percent of his plate appearances while striking out in just 15.8 percent of them.

Upon reaching the major-leagues, Hoskins went on a historic pace, hitting 18 home runs through his first 34 major-league games. He was far and away the quickest player to reach that mark in baseball history, instantly becoming the center of what was an overall improved major-league lineup.

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Hoskins finished his time in the majors with a .259/.396/.618 line after starting to show some fatigue towards the end of the year. Overall, he played in 166 games this season including the Futures Game. It was 31 more games than he played last year in Double-A, and he didn’t get a break halfway through because of the Futures Game, so it’s hard to blame him for faltering in the last few weeks of the season.

After his utterly historic debut, it’s safe to say that Hoskins will be the starting first baseman Opening Day next year.

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Meanwhile, Romero was one of several incredibly talented pitching prospects in the lower levels of the minors this season. He started off the year in a Lakewood rotation that included other talented arms like Sixto Sanchez, Adonis Medina, and Ranger Suarez.

However, it’s hard to argue that Romero was the cream of the crop this year. The 2016 fourth-round pick made 23 starts between Low-A Lakewood and High-A Clearwater, posting a 2.16 ERA with a 1.085 WHIP and 3.56 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 129 innings. Romero used his four-pitch mix effectively, walking just 2.5 batters per nine innings while inducing ground balls more than half the time.

Next: Phillies 2017 season grades: SS J.P. Crawfod

Romero should start next season in Double-A Reading, but there is still no rush to get him to the majors as he isn’t Rule 5 eligible until after the 2019 season. On the other hand, if he keeps pitching like he did this year, it will be hard to keep him down.

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