Harper named Phils starter at 1B, spelling end of Hoskins' tenure

Rhys Hoskins’ unforgettable tenure with the Phillies has likely come to an end.

Phillies president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski told reporters on Wednesday afternoon at the GM Meetings in Scottsdale, Ariz., 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 at the new position.

“We decided we’re going to play him at first base,” Dombrowski said. “He’s happy to do whatever we wanted him to do. He said he’d play first or the outfield. He feels great. But the more we talked about it internally we liked the idea of playing him at first. We think he’ll develop into a Gold Glove first baseman. He’s committed to doing that.”

Dombrowski and Harper had a long discussion on Friday at Citizens Bank Park. Dombrowski said he called Hoskins on Sunday to tell him about the team’s decision.

“We look at Bryce being our first baseman, we look at [Kyle] Schwarber being our DH the majority of the time,” Dombrowski said. “So, I did talk to Rhys on Sunday, let him know about the situation. I gave him a call and just explained the situation. Because, as you know, we absolutely think the world of him and [Hoskins’ wife] Jayme. They’re just wonderful people. They’ve done so much for the community. We don’t want to 100 percent close any doors, but I’d say when we look at the situation … he understood. If he's not back with us, we wish him nothing but the best. But he’s fantastic.”

Dombrowski said Harper will play only first base next year and that there are no plans to occasionally play him in right field.

“He’s in a position where we think for his future it’s a great thing to do as he starts to age,” he said. “He can gladly go to the outfield, but he’s committed to being that type of guy over there at first base.”

Harper finished the regular season at +2 outs above average, according to Statcast. That was tied for the third-highest OAA among Phillies first basemen since 2016. He finished with 1 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.

The team’s overall defense improved as a result.

“We think it makes us more athletic,” Dombrowski said. “We’re in a position now where all of a sudden we’ve got an athletic infield. It opens up one of the outfield spots. … We’re not going to anoint [Johan] Rojas our center fielder because of the offensive aspect, but we think he’s very close. So it really puts us in a position for the future where we’re in a good spot.

“We’re really happy with the way our club … really, from a positional player perspective we’re pretty well set at this time. I’m not saying that we can’t try to get better, not that you’re not open to different ideas, but when you put those four [infielders], you’ve got [Nick] Castellanos, you’ve got Marsh, you’ve got [J.T.] Realmuto behind the plate. … We’re really pretty well set from a positional player perspective.”

The Phillies selected Hoskins, 30, in the fifth round of the 2014 Draft. He was the second-longest-tenured Phillie behind Aaron Nola, who also is a free agent. Hoskins batted .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, hitting 18 home runs in his first 34 games. At the time, he provided hope for a franchise that had been NL East bottom feeders since its last trip to the postseason in 2011.

Hoskins helped the Phillies return to the postseason in 2022. He had one of the most memorable home runs in franchise history, a three-run clout against Braves right-hander Spencer Strider in Game 3 of the NL Division Series at Citizens Bank Park. Hoskins raised his arms into the air, then spiked his bat into the ground. The crowd roared.

It will forever be known as the Hoskins Bat Spike Game.

Hoskins threw out the first pitch before Game 1 of the 2023 NL Wild Card Series against Miami. He raised his cap to the crowd as he walked onto the field. He repeatedly pointed to the ‘P’ on his red pullover. He tipped his cap again, then waved a red rally towel, receiving a raucous response from the fans.

Hoskins worked out in Clearwater, Fla., during the postseason, hoping to be added to the World Series roster. Hoskins, Dombrowski and Rob Thomson said they never had a serious talk about it happening because they were waiting for the Phillies to win the NL Championship Series. But the Phillies lost in seven games to Arizona.