How to watch Phillies slugger Rhys Hoskins in 2018 Home Run Derby
By John Town
Rhys Hoskins will be the first player to represent the Phillies in the Home Run Derby in almost a decade. Here is how you can watch.
While Rhys Hoskins was not selected for the National League All-Star Team, he will still represent the Phillies in Washington during this year’s Home Run Derby Monday night. Teammate Aaron Nola will certainly be watching from the sidelines before representing the team at the All-Star Game Tuesday night.
Howard was the last Phillie to win the derby in 2006. Bobby Abreu was the only other player in franchise history to win; he did it the year prior in 2005.
Here is all the info you need for watching this year’s derby:
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Date: July 16, 2018
First Pitch: 8:00 PM ET
Location: Washington, D.C.
Stadium: Nationals Park
TV Channel: ESPN
Live Stream: ESPN Watch (Cable subscription needed)
Betting odds for Hoskins have ranged wildly heading into the derby. The Ocean Resort in Atlantic City has Hoskins as high as second in the odds at +500, while Bovada gives him the second-worst odds of the eight participants at +900.
Hoskins will be the first player to bat Monday night. He will have to beat Milwaukee’s Jesus Aguilar, who was given the No. 1 seed in the tournament.
Aguilar has 24 home runs this year compared to Hoskins’s 14. If Hoskins wins, he will have to beat the winner of the Alex Bregman-Kyle Schwarber matchup. From there, Hoskins would have to beat the winner of the other side of the bracket, one of Bryce Harper, Freddie Freeman, Max Muncy, or Javier Baez.
Club minor-league infield coordinator Chris Truby will be pitching to Hoskins Monday night. Hoskins told MLB.com that Truby is a good batting practice pitcher:
"“I think [Minor League infield coordinator] Chris Truby is going to throw to me. He throws a good batting practice. We obviously have a really good relationship spending a lot of time together in the Minor Leagues. And, yeah, he throws money BP.”"
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Hoskins will hope to channel some of the slugging ability he displayed in August last year and light it up at the home run derby.