Rhys Hoskins’ unforgettable tenure with the Phillies is over.
Phillies president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski told reporters Wednesday afternoon at the GM meetings in Scottsdale, Arizona, that Bryce Harper will be their everyday first baseman in 2024 and beyond, likely ending Hoskins’ time in Philadelphia. Hoskins tore his left ACL in late March, leaving the Phillies without a first baseman. Harper volunteered to play there and he performed well in the new position.
“We decided we were going to play him at first base,” Dombrowski said. “He’s happy to do anything we wanted him to do. He said he would play first or the outfield. He feels great. But the more we talked about it internally, the more we liked the idea of playing him. We believe he will develop into a Gold Glove first baseman. He’s committed to it.”
Dombrowski and Harper had a lengthy discussion Friday at Citizens Bank Park. Dombrowski said he called Hoskins on Sunday to let him know the team’s decision.
“We see Bryce as our first baseman [Kyle] Schwarber is our DH most of the time,” Dombrowski said. “So I spoke to Rhys on Sunday and informed him of the situation. I called him and simply explained the situation to him. Because as you know, we think very highly of him and [Hoskins’ wife] Jayme. They are just wonderful people. They have done so much for the community. We don’t want to close doors 100 percent, but looking at the situation, I would say… he got it. If he is not with us again, we wish him only the best. But he’s fantastic.”
Dombrowski said Harper will only play first base next year and there are no plans to play him occasionally in right field.
“He’s in a position where we think it’s a great thing for his future as he gets older,” he said. “He’s happy to go to the outfield, but he’s committed to being that guy there at first base.”
According to Statcast, Harper finished the regular season +2 outs above average. That was the third-highest OAA among Phillies first basemen since 2016. He finished with a defensive run saved, according to FanGraphs. Harper’s ability to play first allowed the Phillies to move Schwarber to DH, Brandon Marsh and Cristian Pache to left field, and Johan Rojas to center field.
“We think it will make us more athletic,” Dombrowski said. “We are now in a position to suddenly have an athletic infield. It opens up one of the outfield spots. …We will not anoint [Johan] Rojas is our midfielder because of the attacking aspect, but we believe he is very close. This puts us in a really good position for the future.
“We’re really happy with the way our club is…really, from a position player perspective, we’re in a pretty good place at the moment. I’m not saying we can’t try to get better, not that you’re not open to other ideas, but putting these four together [infielders]you have [Nick] Castellanos, you have Marsh, you have [J.T.] Realmuto behind the plate. … We’re really in a pretty good position from a position player standpoint.”
The Phillies selected the 30-year-old Hoskins in the fifth round of the 2014 draft. He was the second-longest-tenured Phillie behind Aaron Nola, who is also a free agent. Hoskins hit .242 with 148 home runs, 405 RBIs, an .846 OPS and 125 OPS+ in his six seasons with the Phillies. He burst onto the scene as a rookie in 2017 and hit 18 home runs in his first 34 games. Back then, he provided hope for a franchise that had been near the bottom of the NL East since its last trip to the postseason in 2011.
Hoskins helped the Phillies return to the postseason in 2022. He hit one of the most memorable home runs in franchise history, a three-run blast off Braves right-hander Spencer Strider in Game 3 of the NL Division Series at Citizens Bank Park. Hoskins raised his arms in the air and then slammed his bat into the ground. The crowd roared.
Hoskins threw out the first pitch before Game 1 of the 2023 NL Wild Card Series against Miami. As he walked onto the field, he raised his cap to the crowd. He kept pointing at the “P” on his red sweater. He tipped his cap again, then waved a red rally towel and received a loud reaction from the fans.
Hoskins trained in Clearwater, Florida, during the postseason in hopes of making the World Series roster. Hoskins, Dombrowski and Rob Thomson said they never talked about it seriously because they were waiting for the Phillies to win the NL Championship Series. But the Phillies lost to Arizona in seven games.