The face of the Phillies receives another great honor this season
Phillies left fielder Rhys Hoskins has been named the team’s nominee for the 2018 Roberto Clemente award.
“The Roberto Clemente Award is presented each year to the player who best represents the game of Baseball through sportsmanship, community involvement and positive contributions, both on and off the field,” per MLB.com.
In just his first full season with the Phillies, Hoskins has emerged on the national stage as one of the franchise’s faces as they emerge from a dark rebuild. On the field he represented the team in the Home Run Derby, putting on a show in early, tying the record of 17 home runs in the first round. He also embraced his role at the Little League Classic with the young players and fans on hand.
Off the field Hoskins has been an advocate for the Muscular Dystrophy Association, and hosted the Philadelphia MDA Muscle Walk in May. Team Hoskins raised over $7,000 this year to help fight muscular dystrophy and ALS, a cause the Phillies organization has been very involved with through Phillies Charities and the annual Phestival.
Hoskins first got involved with the MDA in high school as a volunteer counselor, and since he’s reached the major leagues he’s been an advocate for raising awareness.
Former Phillie Cole Hamels was also nominated for this year’s Roberto Clemente Award as the Texas Rangers representative, despite being traded to the Chicago Cubs.
Three Phillies have won the Roberto Clemente award since it’s conception in 1971: Greg Luzinski, Garry Maddox, and Jimmy Rollins. In 2014 Rollins was the co-recipient with Paul Konerko of the White Sox.