Rhys Hoskins has failed to produce from the No. 2 spot in the lineup for the Phillies. Is it time to move him back to hitting cleanup?
May has not treated Rhys Hoskins well. In 22 games for the Phillies, he has a .159/.255/.293 line with nine runs batted in, two home runs, and five doubles. Hoskins has struck out 29 times and walked 10 times in 94 plate appearances.
Even though Hoskins has struggled, the team has still done well. The starting pitching has been tremendous, and other players in the lineup have produced enough to propel the team to a 13-9 record in May and 29-21 record overall this season.
May has been a stark contrast from April when Hoskins hit .303 with a .985 OPS. He had a 20.7 percent walk rate and 25.0 percent strikeout rate in April. He was a key cog in the lineup when the rest of the team was faltering.
50 games into the season, Hoskins’s overall numbers are underwhelming. He has a .234/.367/.415 line with six home runs and 28 runs batted in. He has a 117 OPS+ and 118 wRC+ this year, both of which indicate he is an above-average hitter this season. On the other hand, his recent struggles have been frustrating knowing how good of a hitter he can be.
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There is a consensus that Hoskins should not be hitting in the No. 2 spot like he has almost all of May. In 18 games hitting second, he has a .141/.247/.282 line. He has a 37 OPS+ compared to other players hitting second.
Manager Gabe Kapler said earlier this season that he would cycle his lineups often depending on the day. As Liz Roscher of The Good Phight pointed out, Kapler has not done so. His lineups have been more or less the same every day, with Hoskins batting second. She and I agree that Hoskins should be moved from the second spot.
While Roscher suggests moving Hoskins way down in the lineup, he may not have to move down that far. The fix for Hoskins may be to keep him in the cleanup spot. He has hit there in 30 games this season and has fared much better there. In this spot, he has a .303 batting average and .964 OPS in this spot. Hoskins spent all of April hitting there and did well doing so.
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If Hoskins still doesn’t hit in the cleanup spot, then he definitely should be moved down in the lineup even further. Kapler should at least try him in that spot first to see if he can perform like he has in the past there. Whatever gets Hoskins going.