Rhys Hoskins is a bit overlooked on the Philadelphia Phillies but has totaled 63 homers the past two seasons. Here are two props available to wager at Mybookie on Hoskins’ 2020 MLB season – assuming there is one – and an overview.
Rhys Hoskins MLB Awards Odds & Analysis For 2020 Season
- Most home runs of any batter: Hoskins is +3000
- NL MVP Award: Hoskins is +4000
Hoskins wasn’t exactly a touted prospect coming out of little Sacramento State. As a junior he hit 12 home runs with 53 RBIs and a .573 slugging percentage (all leading the WAC), while batting .319, and was named WAC Player of the Year. He was drafted by the Phillies in the fifth round of the 2014 Major League Baseball draft. Hoskins made his MLB debut on Aug. 10, 2017.
Hoskins got his first MLB hit, a single, on Aug. 13, 2017, and hit his first two MLB home runs the following day. On Aug. 25, he became the fastest Major League player to hit nine home runs since his debut, hitting nine in 16 games with 54 at-bats. He became the fastest player to hit 10 career home runs the next day, doing so in only 17 games. The next day, he became the fastest player to hit 11 home runs and did so in only 18 games with 64 at-bats. By doing all that, Hoskins tied a Phillies record by hitting a home run in five consecutive games.
Hoskins finished his first season with 18 homers and 48 RBIs and then hit 34 bombs with 96 RBIs in 2018. Last year, he played a career-high 160 games and batted just .226 but had 29 homers with 85 RBIs and 116 walks. Hoskins was the youngest Phillie to ever finish a season with more than 115 walks.
He became just the third Phillies player ever with at least 29 home runs and 116 walks in a single season and the first since Bobby Abreu in 2004 – Mike Schmidt also accomplished the feat twice, in 1979 and 1983. Over the last two seasons, only three other major league players have reached 29 home runs and 116 walks in the same season – Alex Bregman (2019), Bryce Harper (2018) and Mike Trout (2018). Since Hoskins’ debut on Aug. 10, 2017, he is one of only two players in baseball with 80 home runs and 240 walks, the other being Trout.
On April 6 vs. the Twins last year, Hoskins got his 100th career extra-base hit in his 210th MLB game. Among players to debut since 1900, that was tied for the fifth-fewest games to 100 XBH as a member of the Phillies (also: George Harper), trailing only Chuck Klein (182 G), Jim Thome (194 G), Dick Allen (206 G) and Lefty O’Doul (209 G).
Hoskins also reached 20 2B, 20 HR and 75 BB in his first 97 games of the season; the only Phillie to do so faster to start a season was Abreu in 2004 (91 games). Hoskins was the first Phillies player with 20 HR before the All-Star break since 2013 (Domonic Brown); it was the 23rd time in franchise history a player did so. Hoskins also was the first Phillie with at least 20 HR and 65 walks prior to the All-Star break since 2008 (Pat Burrell).
In August, Hoskins walked 24 times in 27 games, and those 24 walks were his most ever in a single calendar month. He was the first Phillie with that many walks or more in August since Lenny Dykstra in 1993 (26 BB).
In addition, Rhys Hoskins became just one of only five players in franchise history to post a .900 OPS or higher through 1,000 career plate appearances, joining Chuck Klein (1.043), Ryan Howard (1.025), Dick Allen (.949) and Lefty O’Doul (.934). Hoskins also became the first player in franchise history with at least 60 HR and 145 walks through 1,000 career plate appearances.
Hoskins is dangerous with two strikes as he has hit at least 10 homers with a two-strike count in each of his first three season. He’s the first Phillie to do so in 3 straight seasons since Jayson Werth (2008-10).
Over the offseason, Hoskins adjusted his setup, lowering his hands and relaxing his arms while opening up his batting stance a bit. That’s because Hoskins hit five fewer home runs in 45 more plate appearances in 2019 than he had in 2018. His slugging percentage dipped from .496 to .454. And while he led the National League with those 116 walks, he also struck out 173 times and hit just the .226.
