Rhys Hoskins

Organization Prospect Rankings

• 
  Ranked Philadelphia Phillies #6 prospect in 2017
  Hoskins has skeptics, but his track record is difficult to dismiss. He hit well in the Cape Cod League and at Sacramento State, then signed with the Phillies for $349,700 as a fifth-round pick in 2014. Hoskins has hit at every level up through Double-A Reading, where he ranked fourth in the Eastern League in 2016 with a .377 on-base percentage and second in slugging (.566) and home runs (38). Scouts who like him see a hitter with plus power, a sound swing path, good timing, the bat speed to catch up to quality fastballs and a smart plan at the plate. His power comes with some strikeouts, but he doesn't swing and miss excessively and is a patient hitter who walked 12 percent of the time in 2016. While Reading is a terrific hitter's park, he still hit .270/.357/.496 on the road. Hoskins' doubters think he's more of a mistake hitter who has a longer swing with stiffness and holes that better pitchers will exploit. Hoskins is slow-footed and isn't very agile, but he has improved his defense to become an adequate defender with good hands at first base. Hoskins doesn't have the same athleticism or tools as fellow Reading masher Dylan Cozens, but he is the better pure hitter. He will start 2017 at Triple-A Lehigh Valley with a chance to get to Philadelphia by the end of the season.
• 
  Ranked Philadelphia Phillies #23 prospect in 2016
  Minor league first basemen know the drill: If they want to advance, then they must hit, and hit a ton. Hoskins, a fourth-round pick from Sacramento State in 2014, did just that in his first full season, batting .319/.395/.518 with 17 home runs and 90 RBIs in 135 games at low Class A Lakewood and high Class A Clearwater. He ranked inside the top 20 among all full-season minor league batters with 59 extra-base hits and a .913 OPS. The Phillies credit Hoskins' success, in part, to a solid approach at the plate and a leg kick he added before the season. He's still has a long way to go defensively at first base. Scouts see poor range, bad hands and slow-twitch athleticism with a stiff body and actions, all of which hinders his playability in the field. He's a below-average runner as well, but he has a long track record of hitting now that includes a star turn in 2013 in the Cape Cod League (.326, seven homers). After a solid second half at Clearwater, Hoskins will head to Double-A Reading in 2016s.

Draft Prospects

• Ranked #278 prospect in 2014 draft
  Hoskins had a strong start and a big finish that could push him back into the first five rounds. A Sacramento high school product, he's a physical 6-foot-4, 225-pound corner bat who could play left field but likely will wind up at first base. He's a slow-twitch athlete who has plus raw power thanks to his strength and feel for hitting. He's a smart hitter and hard worker who hit .326 with seven home runs in the Cape Cod League last summer, then followed up with 12 this spring to help push Sacramento State to a Western Athletic Conference title.

Minor League Top Prospects

• 
  Ranked International League #3 prospect in 2017
  A year after cracking 38 home runs in Double-A, Hoskins continued to rake as the IL's top power hitter. He was leading the league with 29 home runs when the Phillies called him up on Aug. 10 and finished as the IL leader for on-base percentage (.385), slugging (.581) and RBIs (91).
• 
  Ranked South Atlantic League #20 prospect in 2015
  Hoskins has a lengthy track record for hitting. He was a Baseball America freshman all-American in 2012, hit .319/.428/.573 as a junior at Sacramento State and played just as excellent in his first full pro season. He ranked among the SAL leaders in multiple offensive categories at the time of his promotion to high Class A Clearwater. Hoskins still faces a lot of skepticism as a righthanded-hitting first baseman. He's a fringe-average defender with limited range, so he's going to have to hit. He has a good feel for the strike zone and draws plenty of walks to go with his above-average power. He'll have to keep hitting as he keeps climbing the ladder, but so far that's exactly what he's doing.

• December, 2016 Scouting Report
  Background: Hoskins has his skeptics, but his track record is difficult to dismiss. He hit well in the Cape Cod League and at Sacramento State, then signed with the Phillies for $349,700 as a fifth-round pick in 2014. Now Hoskins has hit at every level up through Double-A Reading, where he ranked fourth in the Eastern League in 2016 with a .377 on-base percentage and second in both slugging (.566) and home runs (38). Scouting Report: Hoskins generates a split camp among scouts. Those who like him see a hitter with plus power, a sound swing path, good timing, the bat speed to catch up to quality fastballs and a smart plan at the plate. His power comes with some strikeouts, but he doesn't swing and miss excessively and is a patient hitter who walked 12 percent of the time in 2016. While Reading is a terrific hitter's park, he still hit .270/.357/.496 on the road. Hoskins' doubters think he's more of a mistake hitter who has a longer swing with stiffness and holes that better pitchers will exploit. Hoskins is slow-footed and isn't very agile, but he has improved his defense to become an adequate defender with good hands at first base.
  
  The Future: Hoskins doesn't have the same athleticism or tools as fellow Reading masher Dylan Cozens, but he is the better pure hitter. He will start 2017 at Triple-A Lehigh Valley with a chance to get to Philadelphia by the end of the season.