There was a moment this past offseason when it looked like the Phillies were considering reuniting with Reese Hoskins. There’s really nothing to this rumor, and it basically appears to have been born out of WIP reporter Devan Kaney confusing two different arguments to make it seem like the Phillies were seriously considering signing Hoskins.
The Phillies will face Hoskins’ Guardians team this weekend, and with the Phillies’ struggles with left-handed pitching, it’s worth wondering if the Phillies made a mistake by not going after their old friend.
advertisement
Of course, the biggest obstacle to bringing Hoskins to the Phillies remains. Hoskins can only play first base (and he’s bad at that) or designated hitter, and the Phillies’ two best offensive players play those positions. Any talk of moving either Hoskins or Kyle Schwarber to the outfield should be immediately dismissed. You could get away with once or seven times a week, but that’s not possible on a regular basis, especially since center fielders are going through growing pains defensively.
As for Bryce Harper moving to the outfield…he doesn’t seem particularly excited about the prospect yet. If Hoskins had been the team’s answer to a left-handed pitcher, he might have felt some regret over that decision, but given Hoskins’ performance this season, that shouldn’t have been the case.
Hoskins’ stat line is interesting. He has a batting average of .192 (which is bad) but an on-base percentage of .353 (which is good). His overall OPS is respectable, but he has only hit four home runs and his slugging percentage is .375, which has steadily declined over his career (also bad). Basically, Hoskins is good at walking and not much else.
He’s also very bad against left-handed pitchers, with a slash line of .132/.275/.360. Say what you want about Adris Garcia, but at least his numbers against opposing pitchers are respectable and he plays good defense.
While the Phillies’ offseason moves don’t seem to have been spectacularly successful at this point, some of the moves they didn’t make (wait until you play against the Mets) have proven to be wise.
advertisement
trivia
last week’s answer: Until last weekend, the Phillies’ franchise home run leader at PNC Park was Jimmy Rollins with five. However, thanks to his two home runs last Friday, Kyle Schwarber leads the way with six home runs.
This week’s question: Other than Citizens Bank Park and American Family Field in Milwaukee, which ballpark did Rhys Hoskins hit the most home runs?
Thoughts beyond the Phillies
I’m probably going to watch The Mandalorian and Grogu this weekend, but I can’t help but feel like these movies are about four years behind schedule. There were actually supposed to be two seasons, but season 2 ended over five years ago. Since then, the season 2 finale almost had to be cut back because they figured no one would watch the show without “Baby Yoda.”
advertisement
The more I think about it, I think the reason the Season 2 finale was so well received is because what people really want from Star Wars is more satisfaction from Luke, Leia, Han, and friends. Recast those roles and give them some adventure right after Return of the Jedi before they become the sad sacks we saw in the sequel trilogy. (Or try rewatching the movie!)
However, feel free to take my opinions on Star Wars with a grain of salt. I thought the much-praised Andor was sporadically great, but mostly I struggled to get past it. And I mostly enjoyed the under-appreciated Acolyte.
remember some of them
The Guardians have a few former Phillies players who have fallen into a “Is that guy still around?” category.
advertisement
Connor Brogdon spent five years with the Phillies and always looked like he was on his way to becoming a capable reliever, but he never got there. He went from a dominant performance in the 2022 World Series to a guy who almost guaranteed to walk several batters in every appearance the following season.
Apparently Brogdon needed more than just a change of pace. The Phillies traded him to the Dodgers at the beginning of the 2024 season, but his performance deteriorated after the trade. After another bad season with the Angels in 2025, he signed with the Guardians in the offseason, but struggled before the Guardians drafted him.
Colby Allard hasn’t been a Philly player for very long. At the end of the 2024 season, when the team was desperately looking for a talented player to fill the fifth starting spot, they looked around at a number of players in hopes of finding one to stick. In fact, Allard was one of the better performers and considering he had a 5.00 ERA, it says a lot about the other players they used.
advertisement
Allard settled with the Guardians as a reliever in 2025 and had a decent season as an intermediate reliever. However, that success didn’t carry over until 2026, when he, like Brogdon, was demoted to the minors.
Additional thoughts about the series
The Guardians don’t have many big names on the roster, but they win games. They are in first place in the American League Central Division with 29 wins and 22 losses. This is somewhat surprising considering their biggest star, Jose Ramirez, is having a down season by his standards.
What the Guardians have is a group of young players who are in good shape. Travis Bazana, Brayan Rocchio, Angel Martinez and Chase DeLauter are all in their early to mid-20s and having breakout seasons.
As a Phillies fan, it seems like an alien idea to have a team’s development system produce players who can play at the major league level, but it seems like this will lead to success in baseball. Maybe the Phillies should give it a try?
#Researching #Opposition #Rhys #Hoskins