Phillies Icon Rhys Hoskins Leaves Legacy Of Sportsmanship And Dingers

PHILADELPHIA, PA — Phillies slugger Rhys Hoskins, the core of the core that brought light to the franchise in its darkest years and helped lead them to the World Series, has signed with the Milwaukee Brewers. But the bat spike his career left impacted in the south Philadelphia dirt will be felt for years to come.

The tale of the Big Fella began in the summer of 2017. Bryce Harper and Trea Turner were entrenched in D.C., Zack Wheeler was in Queens, and Kyle Schwarber was on Chicago's north side. J.T. Realmuto fought on a floundering Fish team and the Phillies were on their way to a 66-win, last place season.

Five years into a hellish rebuild, the Phillies had nothing but Aaron Nola to show for it.

Enter Hoskins, Philly's Aaron Judge, an unheralded towering prospect who had put up big numbers in the minors but came with all kinds of question marks.

For the final 50 games of that difficult 2017 season, Hoskins lit the baseball world on fire. He set a all time major league record with 10 home runs in his first 17 big league games, and ended the season with 18 homers and a monstrous 1.018 on base plus slugging percentage.

For the next five years, Hoskins would become the Phillies mainstay at first base, etching his name beneath Ryan Howard's in Phillies lore at the position. Hoskins and Nola were the sole players on that 2017 team who would be part of the National League pennant winning squad six autumns later.

Hoskins did not maintain his superstar pace from his rookie year. He developed into a very good, not elite player. But his value came from more than just powerful bat and patient eye, which had him among the major league lead in walks in every year of his career.

Hoskins commanded respect in the clubhouse and became a de-facto leader of the team before the outside superstars ever came into town. He was active in the local community immediately, organizing fundraisers for the Muscular Dystrophy Association and becoming the face of the franchise at fan events. And for six summers along the Broad Street Line down to the Bank, when you spotted his visage on the walls in the yellow light of Tasker-Morris, you knew you were close.

No Phillie deserved the 2022 World Series run as much as Hoskins, the piece that stayed in the center of the lineup and the team as successive front offices added superstar after superstar until the magic finally gelled.

Hoskins missed the entire 2023 season after an ACL injury during spring training last March. His deal with the Brewers, a team badly in need of a power hitter, is for two years and $34 million. For a player of Hoskins' caliber, it's something of a "prove it" deal, as he has an opt out option after the first season and can re-enter the free agent market for a longer deal once he proves he can still perform at a high level after the injury.

Hoskins' departure from Philly has been all been guaranteed for months now, as the team had announced Harper as the first baseman of the future back in the beginning of the offseason. With Schwarber now set as the every day designated hitter, that left Hoskins as the odd man out.

Here's a glance at some Patch highlights from Hoskins' tenure:

• Hoskins Hits 2 Home Runs In Slugfest, Propelling Tie Of Phillies Franchise Record
• Phillies' Rhys Hoskins Breaks MLB Record With 10th Home Run
• Hoskins, Harper, Schwarber Homer Into Philly Postseason History Books
  
• Rhys Hoskins, Phillies Legends To Bartend In Phoenixville
• Rhys Hoskins Celebrates Epic Homer With 2019's Slowest Jog In Baseball