Before his Major League debut on August 10, not many people outside of the Philadelphia Phillies organization knew who Rhys Hoskins was.
And now? It’s hard to imagine anyone who covers baseball is still unfamiliar with the emerging slugger.
Hoskins, the 6’4” first baseman/left fielder, was named the NL Rookie of the Month for August on Sunday. In 79 at-bats spanning 22 games, he hit .304/.402/.747 with 11 homers and 25 RBIs.
Extremely impressive, considering he began his career on an 0 for 12 note.
So what better way to rebound from a poor start than by making home run history?
Each of Hoskins’s 11 August home runs occurred in his first 18 games. This made him the quickest player in Major League history to 11 homers. He was also the quickest player to nine (16 games) and 10 (17).
The beginning of Hoskins’s legend started with a two-home run effort in his fifth game on August 14, followed by another dinger the next day. He followed that with three straight homerless efforts, then really picked it up homering eight times in nine games, including one in five straight contests from August 23-27.
Here’s a peak at the game that started it all:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IrH3eRBmrTk
Hoskins, 23, was hitting .284/.385/.581 in 401 at-bats with 29 homers and 91 RBIs in triple-A this year. Last year in double-A, those numbers were .281/.377/.566 in 498 at-bats with 38 homers and 116 RBIs. So there’s no question that this guy can absolutely rake.
He even starts triple plays:
TRIPLE PLAY! Rhys Hoskins is everywhere these days. pic.twitter.com/CNXBzNQWHj
— Sports Illustrated (@SInow) August 27, 2017
Is there anything he can’t do?
Since the 11 homers in his first 18 games, Hoskins has gone deep just once in his last seven games. That’s expected though, as it’d be impossible to maintain the same type of surge that saw him make history.
Overall in 88 at-bats, Hoskins is hitting .307/.419/.750 with 12 homers and 25 RBIs.
It’s always great to see a player come to the majors and instantly perform for their team. Even more so at the level in which Hoskins has. No reason to think he won’t be a legitimate home run threat in this game for the next several years to come.