Exploring Phillies players poised to become first-time All-Stars in 2023
The Major League Baseball offseason flew by for Philadelphia Phillies fans — in large part thanks to the club's unexpected lengthy postseason run (and helped with the Philadelphia Eagles making a championship run of their own). Now with spring training well underway, the 2023 regular season will be here before we know it.
Trea Turner, J.T. Realmuto, Kyle Schwarber, and others are expected to pick up from where they left off in 2022 — and there is hope that Nick Castellanos can return to form. And, as during every season, there should be a few surprises and/or players having career years along the way as well.
Here are three Phillies players who could do just that and become first-time All-Stars in 2023.
He supplied the power in Philly time and time again. ⚡️
— MLB Network (@MLBNetwork) December 29, 2022
️@rhyshoskins lands at #⃣5⃣ on our Top Postseason Performers list!@Phillies | #RingTheBell pic.twitter.com/hZp2NBAbyx
Phillies first baseman Rhys Hoskins will have extra motivation to succeed, given his contract status.
Barring an unforeseen, late-offseason development, Rhys Hoskins will enter the new season without a contract extension — meaning he will be on a "contract year" and have everything to play for in his seventh big-league season.
Hoskins' career seems to flip back and forth between horrific slumps to almost single-handedly carrying the team. Any team thinking about entering sweepstakes for Hoskins' services next season will want to see more consistency out of him.
Hoskins slugged 33 doubles, 30 home runs, and 79 RBI spanning 156 games last season. Despite his streakiness, being available across nearly the entire season is something the Phillies cannot complain about — especially with Bryce Harper sidelined for the first few months.
With Freddie Freeman, Pete Alonso, Paul Goldschmidt, and Matt Olson all vying for the same National League All-Star consideration at first base, among other players, it will not be easy for Hoskins to become a first-time All-Star. However, extra motivation of wanting a lucrative contract could make all the difference for the Phillies first baseman to stand out from the crowd.