Rhys Dean Hoskins ( ; born March 17, 1993), is an American professional baseball first baseman for the Philadelphia Phillies of Major League Baseball (MLB). Hoskins played college baseball for the Sacramento State Hornets. He was drafted by the Phillies in the fifth round of the 2014 MLB draft. Hoskins made his MLB debut in 2017.
Early life
Hoskins was born on March 17, 1993, in Sacramento, California. His parents, Paul and Cathy Hoskins, were both lawyers. Hoskins was a competitive child, eager to win at card and board games as well as pickup games in the family's backyard. When he was two years old, his mother was diagnosed with breast cancer. She ultimately died of the disease in 2009, shortly before Hoskins' 16th birthday. After his mother's death, Hoskins grew closer to his younger sister Meloria. A lifelong fan of the San Francisco Giants of Major League Baseball (MLB), Hoskins modeled his baseball performance first after J. T. Snow, who had a background in gridiron football as well as playing first base, and later on Paul Goldschmidt.
Hoskins became a multi-sport athlete at Jesuit High School in Carmichael, California, playing baseball, basketball, and football while maintaining a 4.0 grade-point average. Hoskins' parents dissuaded him from focusing entirely on one sport, instead encouraging him to follow a variety of activities. One of Hoskins' teammates at Jesuit was Zach Green, a shortstop who was highly sought after in the 2012 MLB Draft. Green typically batted third in the lineup, with Hoskins following as cleanup. Hoskins graduated high school in 2011, with a career .421 batting average, 28 runs batted in (RBIs), and a .544 on-base percentage.
College career
Rather than turn professional directly out of high school, Hoskins chose to pursue college baseball so that he could better develop the mental aspect of the game. He chose to attend California State University, Sacramento, the only college that offered him a scholarship, to play for the Sacramento State Hornets.
As a freshman he batted .353 with a .567 slugging percentage (both 2nd in the conference), with 10 home runs and 53 RBIs (3rd), and was named Western Athletic Conference Freshman of the Year, National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association First Team Freshman All-American, Baseball America First Team Freshman All-American, Louisville Slugger Freshman All-American (Collegiate Baseball Newspaper), All-WAC second team, and Academic All-WAC. In 2013, he played collegiate summer baseball with the Falmouth Commodores of the Cape Cod Baseball League, and was named a league all-star. 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, Louisville Slugger Third Team All-American (Collegiate Baseball), Second Team All-West Region (ABCA/Rawlings), First Team All-WAC, and Academic All-WAC.
Professional career
Minor league career
The Philadelphia Phillies selected Hoskins in the fifth round, 142nd overall, of the 2014 MLB Draft, and he chose to sign with the team for a $349,700 signing bonus. Hoskins made his professional debut in 2014 with the Class A Short Season Williamsport Crosscutters of the New York–Penn League. In 70 games with the team, he batted .237 with nine home runs, but his performance was inconsistent. The Phillies' department of player development sent Hoskins to the Florida Instructional League that September, where he developed his signature left leg kick batting stance.
Hoskins was assigned to the Class A Lakewood BlueClaws of the South Atlantic League (SAL) to begin the 2015 season. That May, after batting .342 with two home runs and 23 RBIs, the Phillies organization named Hoskins their Minor League Player of the Month. On June 23, Hoskins appeared in the SAL All-Star Game, going 1-for-3 with one run scored, and he finished second in the SAL Home Run Derby. Two days later, he and fellow BlueClaw All-Star Malquin Canelo were promoted to the Class A-Advanced Clearwater Threshers of the Florida State League. On August 24, Hoskins was named the Florida State League Player of the Week, after putting up 9 hits, including four doubles, one triple, and two home runs in seven games. Between the two teams, Hoskins batted .319 in 2015, with 17 home runs, 90 RBIs, and 86 runs scored in 567 plate appearances. After the season ended, Hoskins asked the Phillies if there were any winter baseball leagues that he could play in, as he wanted to keep his momentum from the season. He was assigned to the Sydney Blue Sox of the Australian Baseball League, where he batted .323 with eight home runs and a .561 slugging percentage in 42 games.