Rhys Hoskins, Philadelphia Phillies
The Phillies have already been pretty active this winter by acquiring Jean Segura, David Robertson, and Andrew McCutchen, but everyone is still waiting to see which big free agent they’re going to spend “stupid money” on. While we wait for that, it’s worth taking a peek at how Rhys Hoskins’ role is changing for the better.
Signing McCutchen and trading away Carlos Santana opened up the slugger’s natural position at first base once again, along with filling the hole he’d leave in the outfield. This was a one-year experiment that didn’t go well — among qualified players, Hoskins’ -24 DRS was third-worst in baseball, and second-worst when looking at outfielders.
The good thing is that he didn’t let those defensive struggles impact him negatively at the plate. Hoskins’ first full season’s worth of plate appearances led to his first of what the Phillies hope is many performances of 30-plus homers and 90-plus RBI. Now back in his natural position — and a place where he wasn’t a complete black hole defensively — may help take his game to yet another level, and possibly make him an NL MVP candidate.
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