In Friday night's recap, we noted that Phillies OF/1B Rhys Hoskins became the first hitter in MLB history to tally nine homers in his first 16 games. Well, Mr. Hoskins played career game No. 17 on Saturday, and you can probably guess what happened ...
Offspeed, low … and totally gone. Because @RhysHoskins22. pic.twitter.com/i5OQOu6nfh
— MLB (@MLB) August 26, 2017
So, yeah, that's a changeup low and away from Kyle Hendricks, and Hoskins still managed to yank it for a home run. So that's No. 10, and that occasions yet another bit of history ...
#Phillies Rhys Hoskins is the fastest player in history to reach ten career home runs.
— Ryan M. Spaeder (@theaceofspaeder) August 26, 2017
Yep, of the legion hitters in MLB history none has gotten to 10 homers more quickly than has Hoskins. The 24-year-old rookie is now batting .298/.420/.842 since his Aug. 10 promotion. You might recognize those numbers as being "good." Hoskins, a former fifth-rounder, slugged .532 across parts of four minor-league seasons and cracked 205 extra-base hits in 455 games on the farm. He was never a consensus top-100 prospect, but Hoskins' power is real and has been a calling card for some time.
It's been a long season for the Phillies, even at the developmental level, so Hoskins' magma-hot start is welcome news and then some.
