Rhys Hoskins underwent a meniscectomy on his right knee in December, Phillies manager Rob Thomson told Alex Coffey of The Philadelphia Inquirer and other reporters. The relatively minor procedure corrected some “wear and tear,” Thomson said, and Hoskins is expected to make his in-game spring debut sometime this week.
Now entering his age-30 season, Hoskins has been a quality hitter pretty much from day one in Philadelphia, hitting .242/.353/.492 with 148 home runs and producing a 125 wRC+ over 2877 career plate appearances in six MLB seasons. Hoskins would naturally love to keep that production going in order to help the Phillies’ chances at returning to the World Series, but a big 2023 campaign would also help Hoskins as he enters free agency next winter. The Phils already have a lot of long-term money on the books and might soon add another pricey deal if they reach an extension with Aaron Nola (another pending free agent), but it stands to reason that the club would also have some interest in locking Hoskins up to an extension. That said, Boras Corporation clients like Hoskins usually end up testing the open market, and the Phillies might have some reservations about committing a long-term deal to a first base-only player.
More from around the NL East…
- Eddie Rosario followed up his 2021 NLCS MVP performance with a dismal 2022 season, as the outfielder hit only .212/.259/.328 over 270 plate appearances with the Braves. Vision problems were the root cause of Rosario’s struggles, as Rosario started to have trouble seeing the ball during last year’s Spring Training, and he still needed some adjustment time even after undergoing laser surgery and missing over two months of the season. Fortunately, “everything is good now. I feel really good and I see really well,” Rosario told MLB.com’s Mark Bowman, and both manager Brian Snitker and hitting coach Kevin Seitzer have been impressed by Rosario’s seeming return to his old form early in camp. A revived Rosario would instantly solve the Braves’ question mark in left field, and provide a nice boost to an Atlanta team that is hoping to compete for another world championship. 2023 is the final guaranteed season of Rosario’s two-year, $18MM deal with Atlanta, though the Braves hold a $9MM club option on the veteran for the 2024 campaign.
- The Mets will use Ronny Mauricio at shortstop and Mark Vientos as a corner infielder this spring, rather than continue to audition the prospects at different positions. MLB.com’s Anthony DiComo writes that plans might change in the future, and some obvious roadblocks (i.e. Francisco Lindor, Pete Alonso, Eduardo Escobar, and fellow prospect Brett Baty) seem to be preventing Mauricio or Vientos from playing their regular positions at the big league level. Of course, it is always possible that the win-now Mets might look to move either Mauricio or Vientos for a proven Major Leaguer, though New York has thus far been pretty resistant about moving too many top-tier prospects for immediate help.
They’re not going anywhere soon. Escobar isn’t blocking anyone. He’s in his last year (minus option) & isn’t exactly playing well. Pete isn’t signed long term. Baty isn’t proven at the MLB level. Mauricio is 21 and hasn’t played in AAA. No reason to start moving anyone around or elsewhere.
“He’s in his last year (minus option) & isn’t exactly playing well.”
Eh. He started out poorly, but hit great down the stretch. You can actually pinpoint when he turned it around because it was after Baty got hurt. He essentially lost his job to Baty, but then when Baty got hurt and he came back into the every day lineup, he went on a tear. On August 28th (the day Baty got hurt), he had a putrid .214/.266/.380/.646 slash line. He put up .328/.388/.595/.982 over the last 32 games of the year. Here’s hoping it carries over to this year.
Escobar was going through a difficult divorce last year and apparently he started playing well in September once the divorce was finalized.
Is that so? I didn’t know that but it would go a long way to explaining his early season slump.
Now he’s back to chasin’ tail and hittin’ dingers.
He also made a minor mechanical adjustment after looking at old video – he started standing up straighter in the box. That apparently helped him a good bit.
Escobar was one of the Mets best offensive players down the stretch. Prospects are fun and exciting, but it’s going to take years for them to hit their potential.
( full ) potential.
Escobar and Rosario are pretty similar hitters. Both underrated in their careers. That last month, as a Braves fan, I was almost as afraid of Escobar as I was Alonso.
I agree with a lot that you’ve said. I really hope they don’t use any of them as trade chips. We need our own farm to replenish our team instead of going to the FA market. After all, that has been Cohen’s plan from the start. Mauricio, Vientos, Baty and a few more MILBs have looked very good so far during spring training and we’re only three games in! I think the Mets sometimes undervalue their farm system. I’m really looking forward to enjoying these spring training games for the kids showing us what they’re capable of doing. It’s become one of my favorite things about Mets baseball season since 2020.
@NYMetsFanatic Cohen no longer believe that, if he ever did. Aiming to add Correa and removing ANY chance of any of Baty, Vientos, and Mauricio contributing to any Mets team in the future tells the true tale. The Mets clearly were willing to push payroll to $380m but failed to add even one starting pitcher likely to be effective AND healthy in October. They let Rodon go to the Yankees without making any sort of serious offer. They thought they were adding Correa, making ALL of Baty, Vientos, and Mauricio expendable, perhaps for Pablo Lopez, but they never even talked to the Marlins.
In fact Cohen’s plans seem incoherent. The Mets sat on their hands then with only one star at 3B left among available free agents, Cohen lunged at Correa. It was bizarre to see, if examined objectively. It’s abundantly clear Cohen is playing GM but simply doesn’t know what he’s doing, nor why.
Expect more foolishness at the deadline. It won’t be pretty.
I can’t see Hoskins getting a long term deal. He’s another DH on a team full of DH’s. He’s a quality hitter, but redundant for the Phillies.
I agree. I love him, but his money is better spent trying to lock up Bohm or Stott.
I don’t know why you would rather have Bohm than Hoskins.
Hoskins is more valuable than Bohm. This is a make or break year for Bohm. I love the guy, and he really improved on defense, but you need more power from a corner IF position. If it came down to one or the other, Hoskins is more valuable.
Though Bohm is younger, probably cheaper on a long term deal, and does offer some positional flexibility.
I hope that Bohm improves. To date, Hoskins is at OPS+ 125 in 2427 AB. Bohm is at OPS+ 97 in 1126 AB.. As they used to say on Sesame St., “one of these things is not like the other.”
Yup. Hoskins is a 2-3 win 1B/LF/DH, while Bohm is replacement level despite a high BABIP. Seems simple.
Agreed. Hoskins is a fantastic bat, underrated by his fanbase, but the Phillies have too many sluggers who can’t play defense. Hoskins isn’t the best fit. Unless he really impresses, I don’t expect a longterm deal.
I don’t see the Phils paying Hoskins to stay, as there are other priorities and from the projections that I have seen for Rhys I would not foot the contract for him given the current roster setup. Not unless there is a significant discount, and that won’t be happening. Love Rhys, but this is his last year in Philly.
But Bohm is nowhere near a settled matter; as noted he is in a make or break year. Last year was impressive, but the bat needs to make a leap forward for sure. His bat will probably only play if he sticks at 3rd, and even there it needs to grow quite a bit.
the Phillies aren’t going to give a long-term deal to hoskins. He’s been a staple in the lineup since 2017 when he exploded onto the scene in the 2nd half of that yr. if he could play a lick of defense if would be a no doubter that he would get 5-6yrs and $150 ish. but they tried him in LF a few yrs back and that wasn’t very appealing.
Seems like another former Minnesota Twin had vision issues.
Related to the open air baseball stadium being near the garbage burning plant in downtown Minneapolis??
What a stretch. Guessing you’re a former 1Bman.
Or, perhaps, the fact that some people develop vision issues as they age?
Baty, Mauricio and Vientos can flat out hit.
Baty and Vientos sure, Mauricio not so much. That walk rate is low and it doesn’t usually increase in the majors. He can still very well figure it out though
Mauricio is still young and he’s got a lot of talent. He was the MVP of the Dominican Winter League, and he absolutely crushed a 450 foot homer today in a Spring Training game. Have patience with him.
Oh yeah for sure, he has all the tools just needs to put it all together I don’t give up on a player untill they have gotten like Jo Adell time at the majors over years.
Jose Reyes had the same problem with his OBP when he was called up and he turned out fine. I’m obviously not comparing the two talent wise Reyes proved to be a superstar in his prime. Mauricio literally has “5 tool player potential” he’s filled into his body nicely and now is driving and lifting the ball and his power is there. The guy hits absolute bombs and has a sweet swing especially from the left side. I think it would be a mistake for the Mets to trade him. Stock the farm and focus on drafting. Cohen is only going to spend so much before the payroll comes back down to a reasonable amount. I love what he’s done so far but I’m also a realistic Mets fan.
Not to totally rain on the parade and agree not a fair/straightforward comp anyway BUT Reyes was significantly hindered by his OBP issues. It’s really what stopped him from being a perfect leadoff hitter — he didn’t walk enough. Yeah, I’d take what he did become any day of the week BUT this kid doesn’t have Reyes speed either.
I’m by no means giving up on Mr. Mauricio, he’s still incredibly young and gifted and could easily improve his plate approach as he gets older. Even if does struggle getting walks he can still be a very valuable player if he keeps smacking doubles and bomb’s. A 105 WRC+ with solid infield defense provides immense worth. There is a reason he’s a top 100 prospect. People with a lot more knowledge about scouting then I do and see him play in person believe in the talent and upside. I want him to succeed even as a braves fan. Go out there and put up some number and live the dream and get the bag!
@thecrown24 No. Rosario had nothing like Mauricio’s problem. Rosario got on base at a .374, .and a .367 clip his last two seasons in the minors. He even put up a .320 one year he was struggling, while Mauricio is on the cusp of the majors, according to the Mets, and he’s never touched even Rosario’s 3rd worst season. Mauricio’s best is .307, his career OBP is .300, and his last two seasons his OBP is even worse: .296 and .296.. His slugging average, career, is a modest .424 and he averages 35 errors per season, pro rated to a full season.
The likelihood he’ll be successful with the Mets is miniscule. He’s being kept at SS for ST because if he’s moved the absurdity of Mauricio succeeding at a corner position, where hitting is a must, will be all too clearly revealed.
It’s hard to say why his career has been a failure. Is it that he’s unteachable? Maybe so, but the Mets haven’t been able to teach any of Mauricio, Vientos, or Baty to play a competent 3B, suggesting the fault may not lie with Ronny.
Not a Mets fan and don’t know enough besides what I am seeing and thus making me curious… Does anyone know if the bump in walks in winter league was deliberate/conscious effort or just small sample size glitch? Granted it was only 40 or so games but he walked half as much in those 40 games as he did all of last season. If it’s intentional and actual improvement… that would be HUGE for his potential!
@Jeff Zanghi Small sample size caveats apply. It was also against much weaker competition than AA and AAA in the U.S.
Doubtful. Mauricio has never put up more than a .300 OBP in the minors in the US. After four years, the idea that he’ll suddenly learn to take a walk is unlikely. The Mets should have dealt him before his vulnerabilities became obvious.
Of course, it’s the Mets. It’s the same system, and they’re the same guys that couldn’t teach Rosario to walk or realize that they had better than Lindor in Andres Giminez. So, who knows? Still, guys who never walk in the minors don’t suddenly become patient in the majors. I’d be interested in even a couple of examples outside the Mets system where improvement of a deficit this severe and this chronic, was repaired.
Haven’t seen Vientos. Yes on Baty. Saw him in person. Quite swing, let’s the ball get deep and if he likes what he sees, he turns on it. Saw Mauricio hit LH in same games as I saw Baty. Ugh. Too many moving parts, long and his front shoulder has a tendency to bailout. Plus instead of waiting for the ball to come to him and turning, he kinda steps towards the ball to greet it and with late to no turning/rotation.
Or you could trade Vientos and Mauricio to the Tigers at the trade deadline to fill your holes when you realize you are still chasing the Braves and Phillies despite spending more on payroll this year than most teams do in two years. Yeah that will work 😉
As a braves fan, the idea sounds nice but the Mets filled all of their free agent holes and the Phillies got the best shortstop in baseball. (I will die on this hill!!) It’s worrisome when the braves only improved on the margins while both of the other two threats brought in big time talent. I think the Braves will still be pretty good and make the playoffs but it wouldn’t surprise me if they are 3rd or 1st place this year. Either way it’s what happens in the playoffs that counts. Good luck Phillies and Mets, this year should be fun as rivalries should be. I’m ready for some baseball.
A healthy Acuna/Albies/Rosario would go a long way. Pitching could benefit from better catching duo. Throwing Rosario in the same sentence as the other two may seem to some unwarranted but I have always said he is one of the more underrated offensive players in baseball. Hit 7 homers in 100 ab with ATL in 21 (killed the playoffs). Was on a 30 homer pace in 2020 and hit 32 in 2019. And a dumb braves broadcaster (which one right?lol) didn’t even know who he was until they traded for him. Was actually pleased to know Albies had been dealing with a shoulder problem last few years as he hasn’t been same dynamic player imo as he was when he came up. This guy has superstar written on him imo.
Yes, alot of people are so gloom and doom over losing Swanson…
#1 That was a career year for him, both offensively and defensively. Plus, Grissom is much more athletic than Swanson, and he’s getting taught by the same person that helped Dansby turn into a Gold Glove SS.
#2. Offensively speaking, the Braves are essentially just swapping Swanson out with Albies in the lineup. Then, they’ll be swapping out Contreras with Murphy, except Murphy is one of the best defensive catcher’s in baseball. Even so, advanced stats place Murphy as also one of the better hitting catchers as well. Contreras was a nightmare defensively last season, and it had been multiple years that he still hadn’t made any progress behind the plate. His bat is more exciting than Murphy’s, but Murphy is far and away the better player all-around.
Plus, having Murphy and Olson pairing back up with eachother will only make each player more comfortable.
Ian Anderson has fixed his issues with his delivery, so he could be an excellent #5 pitcher. Also, Charlie Morton will have a full spring to go ahead and get ready for the season, unlike last season where he struggled to get on track and it carried over leading to a very uneven first few months.
Rosario and Ozuna should both be heavily motivated to forget about last season, and both move forward into this year starting in a positive light. Rosario is no longer hampered by his eye issues, which negatively impacted him both offensively and defensively last year, and reports have been very optimistic so far this spring, albeit even though it’s a very small sample size, but still..lol
As for Ozuna goes, he proved to himself, his teammates, and fans that were paying attention that he still had plenty left in the tank toward the end of last season. Ozuna has also finally been able to repair his shoulder, which has previously limited him to barely even being able to hit his cutoff man from LF. Now, Ozuna shouldn’t nearly be the albatross he has been in LF, and that fact alone should allow him to at least play LF at a slightly below to average level. That would go a long way towards making Ozuna a very valuable asset for the Braves if he can continue building off the success he had towards the end of last season.
The Braves really only need one of these two players to be hitting at any point throughout the season, so I think they’ll be able to get significantly better all-around production from LF than they were last season.
Plus, the Braves now have Eli White, so they have a superb late INNING LF defensive replacement, and he’s also a burner on the bases, so he can be a valuable weapon for them late in games and especially in extra innings with the new rules…
No, the Braves didn’t have the sexiest off-season, but with the new rules, and considering the moves they did make, the Braves should be a better all-around team this year.
Ozuna looked so mentally busy between pitches that he seemed to have his head spinning 100mph. He didn’t look comfortable or confident. Clearly he had been working on so many things he was trying to bring over into the games. The sample size of success was very small. I didn’t know about the shoulder though. Good info. I have no doubt he is trying hard but perhaps some relaxation training would help him more than actual work at the plate
Yes, small sample size.
Ozuna isn’t very good.
Yeah, I’m not going to worry too much about it now and just enjoy the season, wherever that takes us.
And pretty soon the Braves will realize that signing every young player to long term extensions was a bad idea when half of them don’t perform and it limits their ability to sign free agents.
Except they didn’t sign “every young player” to long term extensions.
I thought the Braves were very calculated and smart about the players they chose to extend.
Also, on the vast majority of these deals, the Braves really only just tacked on a couple more years, and then locked them up at what they considered a team friendly price to buy out their arbitration years.
Almost every single one of the Braves “extensions” has been widely considered as a win for the Braves, and that’s not even considering the fact that the market for players is likely only going to get more and more expensive with each passing season.
What they’ve managed to accomplish is making sure that they’ve locked up their young core and their championship window for the next five to six seasons, at least. Now, they’ll have C, 1B, 2B, SS, 3B, CF, and RF all filled up with above average talent, only needing to add/find a LF, DH, and some bench depth each season/off-season.
Plus, they’ve also locked down Strider, their Ace of the future, who could be a risky signing, but I’ll gladly take that risk any day, they have Fried for two more seasons, Wright for a couple more years, Morton for this year with a a team option for the following, and they have guys like Soroka, Ian Anderson, Bryce Elder, Dylan Dodd, Jared Shuster, etc. for the next few seasons to find a 5th starter, and to add depth to their already strong rotation in case anyone goes down…
That’s WITHOUT making any further additions for the next two to three seasons..
They do have Iglesias, but other than that, they have not handed out any costly long-term commitments to any of their relief arms…
While I may have liked for them to lock down Minter, McHugh, Matzek, Lee, etc. relief pitchers are so volatile, and they’ve been so adept at finding and developing quality arms, there’s really no reason for them to have to likely overpay for the Braves to keep all their relief arms.
Now, if they would have done that, then I’d agree with you about it coming to back to bite them, but they’ve managed to lock up the vast majority of their position players and their young, future all-world talent in Spencer Strider…
I just wish they maybe could have locked up their current all-world Ace in Max Fried, dude is vastly underrated, and has been one of the best in baseball.
Lol, which ones haven’t performed? They are locked up so cheap that they can make moves while keeping players they might not have been able to keep otherwise.
For the Mets it’s simple, after 2023 both Escobar and Mark Canha will be eligible for FA if Mets buy out their ‘24 contact options which I imagine they will. Baty can play 3B with McNeil moving to LF and Mauricio playing 2B. DH Vientos.
Yup exactly the scenario I see as well
@angt222 You guys don’t pay any attention to stats at all, do you? Mauricio, pro rated to a full season, averages 35 errors a year at his *natural position,* has never improved on this, and now you want to move him to a position he has never played before and despite his size. He’s 6′-3″ and 222 lbs. How many guys that size have been successful at 2b?
He can’t get on base, his OBP at the upper levels is .296, he’ll be a below average fielder even at a young age, when fielding tends to peak, and he hasn’t been able to learn to steal bases at a productive rate despite endless practice.
It’s not going to be pretty. 2B?? Move him to another team—fast.
Tigers, hahahaha. Thanks for the laugh! Very little value there. Enjoy Javie swing and a miss Baez.
Baty has a chance for a role backing up Escobar. Vientos has a shot for the DH backup 1B job if Ruf is finally cut.
More likely that Baty, Mauricio and Vientos are all ticketed for Syracuse. Same with Alvarez. The WBC is a blessing as these guys will all get plenty of ST playing time.
Realistically they all need to work on their defense and get some ABs. Their really is no reason to rush them. This is a deep team. Better to give them the time to be ready when injuries happen.
I’d say Baty is the only one who has a chance to break camp with the team. The others will start in Syracuse for sure. Baty can get near-full time at bats platooning at 3B/DH with Escobar.
I’m waiting for someone to say, “How can Hoskins be a quality hitter when his batting average is only 242?” Twenty comments in and the batting average brigade has yet to show up.
Plenty of ready-now prospects for the Metsies. It’s the guys that are 2+ years out that are lacking.
Parada, and Ramirez probably fit that 2-3 year timeline.
True, Parada is going to move quickly. Good problem to have with him and Alvarez.
Yes. But they’ll still have to buy arms it looks like, w/possible exceptions of Tidwell, Hamel, Diaz.
Yeah they have a few arms that can rise but not enough of them.
So I am not a Phillies fan/don’t watch enough to know if there’s an obvious answer but.. what’s going on with Hoskins declining BB rate?
His K%, Hard hit %, avg EV are all consistent. In fact his BABIP has actually gone up… but he walked at 15.5% through 2020 and since has only walked at around a 10/10.5 % pace.
He also may be someone the shift ban significantly helps (low BABIPs even considering his speed – lack thereof) but the 5% drop in walk rate, and subsequent OBP drop seems alarming at least from the outside. Particularly because players usually trend the other way as they adjust to ML pitching. At first I thought it might be fewer IBBs as the lineup got better around him… and that still may be the case despite it not being “literal IBBs” but he never that many even in his peak BB% year(s)
Just curious more than anything. He seems like the kind of guy that if his BB% goes back up, and he remains powerful… he could age well relative to others as the plate discipline and power as a DH would seem to play into his mid 30s.
Of course if he’s a .325/.335 OBP player now vs .350-.385 that changes the calculus. More so if the trend continues and gets even worse.
Just a question. Have the Mets been giving no trade clauses to the high priced signings on the team. Considering the way salaries have escalated since Lindor signed, his contract could be a bargain and easy to trade in a few years if the Mets so choose.
Some yes, some no, some a combo of full and limited NTC… For example, Lindor has a limited NTC (15 teams) through ‘25 and a full NTC beyond.
“A bargain”
Jesus christ.