Five things we learned about the Phillies from the first half of 2018
By John Town
Rhys Hoskins not quite an MVP, but still really good
Rhys Hoskins burst onto the scene last year with his record-setting home run pace, prompting many fans – myself included – to view him as an emerging top-tier talent in the league. Hoskins backed up that notion with his first month, posting a .303/.457/.528 line with four home runs, 19 runs batted in, 24 walks, and 29 strikeouts in 116 plate appearances in April.
However, his numbers drastically fell off in May, hitting just .161 with a .551 OPS in May. He ended the month with a broken jaw, missing close to two weeks. When he returned he was back on fire, hitting eight home runs and carrying a 1.088 OPS in 20 June games.
In 14 July games, Hoskins started to struggle again. He has just two doubles and was hitting .232 before the All-Star Break. You wouldn’t know it by his Home Run Derby performance though, hitting 37 in the first two rounds before being eliminated by Kyle Schwarber.
Overall this year, Hoskins has a .252/.363/.456 line with 14 home runs, 56 runs batted in, a 121 OPS+ and 123 wRC+. His season numbers aren’t quite up to the standard he set last August, but he is still quite a good hitter at the major-league level. He could take off again in the second half, but even if his season stays the course, he will still be a well-above-average player.