In the six seasons he has been a member of the Philadelphia Phillies organization, Rhys Hoskins has never distinguished himself in the field. When he’s playing at his highest level, Hoskins can provide passable defense, making routine plays at left field and first base while doing extensive damage with his bat.

Throughout his career, Rhys has frequently flashed his best. Perhaps his greatest stretch as a ball player occurred during his abbreviated rookie campaign, when he burst on the scene in August 2017 and clubbed 18 home runs in his first 34 games. Hoskins provided a flicker of hope during a period when the Phillies seemed lost in the baseball wilderness, and he seemed then like a foundational piece on which the franchise could build a reconstructed roster that once again contended for championships.

He’s also been mired in extensive slumps. During that same rookie season, Hoskins did not hit a home run in his final 16 games. The feast-or-famine productivity has emerged as a feature of his tenure. Hoskins spends all his time in the sport’s peaks and valleys, rarely pitching his tent in the plateaus and providing a measure of steadiness for a lineup that could desperately use some regular production.

When the Phillies stunk, as they have for most of his major league service time, Hoskins’ cold stretches were tolerable. He would figure things out and make the necessary adjustments, the thinking went. In 2019, the organization made two decisions that should have allowed Hoskins to thrive at the plate. First, the slugger was moved to first base permanently. Second, and more importantly, the Phillies signed Bryce Harper to a long-term deal, providing Rhys with elite protection that should have unlocked his considerable potential.

Since that period, the pieces around Hoskins have only gotten better. And yet, the pattern of consistent inconsistency holds. This year, when the calendar turned to October and the Phillies first needed to secure their tenuous hold on a playoff berth before starting the survive-and-advance postseason, their first baseman has been missing in action.


Sure, he’s still physically present, taking his turn in the order and fielding his position. But the offensive production has evaporated. Hoskins has a grand total of 2 hits in the 9 games the Phillies have played during this crucial month. Two hits in thirty-seven official at-bats from the slugger hitting second in the order each night is inexcusable and unsustainable, especially for a team with dreams of knocking out the defending World Series champions.

At the very least, Hoskins could limit the damage by playing a serviceable first base. Even that modest goal proved too lofty last night, as Rhys brutally misplayed a sharp but routine Matt Olson ground ball into an RBI single:

With ace Zack Wheeler on the mound and battling through 5 2/3 innings, that play has to be made. It’s not even a great ask. Make the play. This is October baseball in the big leagues, not a beer league softball game in July. Hoskins’ inexcusable glovework was an error in everyone’s eyes except the very generous official scorer who ludicrously credited Olson with a hit.

I doubt Hoskins’ subpar play is a matter of effort; maybe it’s a focus issue. Whatever the source of the problem, Hoskins has yet to find a solution in October. The clock is ticking on this Phillies season, and they will need production from the top of the order to stand a chance against the Atlanta Braves. With the Phillies finally returning to Philadelphia, perhaps Rhys will rediscover his swing and some semblance of his game.

We can certainly hope for a return to form, but we can’t depend on it. Not from this player. And that’s the problem with Rhys Hoskins. His performance is simply too erratic and unreliable.

Manager Rob Thomson nevertheless has remained loyal, refusing to move Hoskins down in the order or sit him in favor of another option. The Phillies left reserve first baseman Darick Hall off the NLDS roster, foreclosing an opportunity to resort to a platoon at the position. Thomson has placed tremendous trust in his regulars during his time in charge of the lineup card, and he’s been rewarded for it thus far. Hoskins is certainly capable of catching fire before this series is over, but accepting this possibility requires a level of faith that strains my capacity for belief.

I’m looking for an exit from the Rhys Hoskins roller coaster, and I hope Phillies president Dave Dombrowski and general manager Sam Fuld are also suffering from Hoskins-induced motion sickness. With Bryce Harper’s elbow still a question mark and the organization already harboring a glut of designated hitters masquerading as position players, it’s time for the roster to get better defensively.

Hoskins is under team control for one more season before entering free agency ahead of his age-31 season. I wish the guy all the best, and I hope a franchise pays him top dollar for his services. Just not here, not with the way this team is currently constructed. Hoskins has not demonstrated he can be a dependable, everyday first baseman, and he would be better served playing for an organization that could guarantee him an extended look as a full-time hitter.

Is it cruel to ponder Hoskins’s exit while the team is still alive in the playoffs? Maybe. But I’ve seen this movie too many times in the last six years. I know how it most likely will end, and I’m ready to walk out of the theater. The Phillies’ front office might feel the same way.