White Hot Start for Rhys Lightning

That was a fun first week of Phillies baseball. There are so many things that I could talk about right now, so many places where I can point to and say that they have been a major contributor to the early successes of the Phils, but I can’t look further than our first baseman.

To sum it up short and sweet - Rhys Hoskins has been excellent at the plate through the first two series.

Coming into the Spring of 2021 there were plenty of questions surrounding the 28-year-old. Would he be ready for Opening Day after having his UCL surgically repaired in the offseason? What Rhys Hoskins would we see to open the season?

Well, Rhys has been answering those questions one at-bat at a time. He was certainly ready for Opening Day, and for all the ups and downs Rhys has had he’s starting this season on absolute FIRE. Through the first six games of the season, Rhys is slashing an impressive .417/.417/1.208, not yet amassing the walks he usually has, but that will soon follow. In looking at how the first six games have played out there are many factors that are contributing to Rhys’ success. The first one, and one that should never be overlooked is lineup depth. Sitting in the two-hole Rhys is really protected, pitchers have to throw strikes to him because giving him a free pass just puts runners on base for Harper, Realmuto, Bohm, and company, a nightmare for any pitcher. Beyond the depth that our lineup possesses, Rhys has gotten back to doing what Rhys does best … playing the gaps. When Rhys tries to yank everything down the left-field line and is a dead pull hitter is when we see his batting average take a dip; however when Rhys is hitting for the gaps we see his true ability.

Six games into the season Rhys has racked up six doubles and a homerun joining Del Ennis, John Kruk, and Ryan Howard as the only Phillies to hit that extra-base hit mark. That’s some pretty good company if you ask me. He’s had at least one hit every game so far, moved runners along, drove in major runs, and to be frank, I don’t envision him slowing down any time soon. The age-old question that seemingly always gets tossed around with Rhys is “When will the slump come?” and I think as long as hitting coach, Joe Dillion, can keep Rhys focused on the gaps and only the gaps we might not see a major slowdown. The hits will continue to pile up, the patented Rhys at-bats where he sees 10 pitches and takes the walk will start to come too, and as long as he can live in the gaps, Rhys could have a pretty special season.

Baseball is a long season, but if the first six games of the season are any indication, Rhys is poised to be a major stick in this lineup. I can’t contain my excitement when it comes to our 1B because he’s going to be a guy that we are going to need to rely on if we are going to make a run at this division and into the playoffs.