We were talking about Rhys Hoskins’ memorable NLCS performance on Tuesday’s Crossing Broadcast when I fired off what I thought was as no-brainer take: Hoskins is now a Phillies Wall of Fame player. Not on track to be. Not if they win the World Series. Without another swing, he’s going up there.

This is a particularly interesting debate because Hoskins has been somewhat of a divisive player among this fanbase for some time now. Some completely overlook his overall offensive production and fixate on his propensity for slumps and spotty defensive play. For others, there’s this pushback on the criticism that comes across like blind loyalty. Anybody who’s been following along on Twitter or dialed into sports talk radio this month has heard the Hoskins debate turned all the way up.

I think there’s a pretty solid three-part case to be made here, and I’m even going to make it without shitting on any previous selections or mentioning that Hoskins, a two-time Roberto Clemente Award nominee, is a good dude. Then again, maybe I just did.

First, some relevant points on his regular season numbers. In 667 career games with the Phillies, Hoskins has amassed 148 homers, 149 doubles, 405 RBI, and 305 walks. He has also posted a .846 OPS, 125 OPS+. Put another away, his 162-game averages on some key counting stats read like this: 36 homers, 36 doubles, 94 BB, 98 RBI.

To put some of these numbers in context, Hoskins places 16th on the team’s all-time home run list. At his career home run pace, had the 2020 season not been shortened due to COVID-19, he would be 14th, clearing both Mike Lieberthal (on) and Scott Rolen (should be on).

The other 13 players ahead of him at that point? All on the Wall of Fame or soon will be (Chase Utley, Jimmy Rollins, and Ryan Howard).

His .846 OPS ranks 17th, just one percentage point behind Utley. Of the 16 players currently ahead of him, only Utley, Howard, Rolen, and Don Hurst aren’t already up there.

Of course, his regular season offensive production is only part the equation. In fact, I probably would have resisted the notion that he has already done enough to make at this point in his Phillies career based on the regular season alone.

For me, things changed this month. More specifically, his NLDS Game 3 homer and bat spike against the Braves changed things:

This was an iconic moment. It was a huge swing in a pivotal game that produced an unforgettable postseason moment for a team that, as you know, hadn’t had one in quite some time. The Phillies will play it forever. Better still, it was a moment produced by a homegrown player who had been subjected to intense scrutiny (sometimes with merit) as the Phillies made their far-too-long march back to the playoffs.

For the lack of a better word, this “narrative” helps, and it was only amplified in the team’s NLCS triumph over the Padres.

Despite hitting hitting just .182 this postseason, Hoskins swatted four homers against the Padres, three of which proved critical in the Phillies’ final two wins.  Bryce Harper’s mythical game-winning homer aside, Hoskins’ two momentum-turning Game 4 blasts along with his tone-setting shot in Game 5 were as important as anything else in getting the Phillies back to the World Series.

So, to recap:

  • Solid regular season production that puts him right on the fringe
  • Iconic moment against the Braves
  • Huge NLCS performance that helped the Phillies win the pennant

Without even another swing, he’s done enough to go up there. No-brainer, right?