Guardians’ Rhys Hoskins Reflects on Returning to Philadelphia

The players on the still relatively young Cleveland Guardians team look up to Rhys Hoskins as one of the veterans and guiding voices on the roster. However, that wasn’t always Hoskins’ role.

A few years ago, the right-handed hitter was a core piece to some of the best Philadelphia Phillies teams in recent memory. As that group adapted and changed, and Hoskins suffered an injury, he moved on to the next chapter of his career.

Even though Hoskins didn’t still wear a Phillies jersey, the impact he made on the players in the Philly dugout and fans in the stands will always hold a special place in their hearts, and that was evident on Friday evening.

Hoskins and the Guardians opened up a three-game, interleague series with the Phillies, and Hoskins reflected on what it’s like being back where his big league career began ahead of the game, starting with the emotions of being back in a ballpark he knows so well.

“I can't run from [emotions],” explained Hoskins. “I find that I'm able to kind of, have the emotions, process them quickly, and then get back to the job that you're trying to do.”

Of course, emotions are high, especially when he looks in the opposing dugout to see faces he spent half a decade playing in the Majors with, and some of which he came up through the organization alongside, too.

Those are relationships that Hoskins said he still holds to be among the most important legacies he left in Philly. 

“I think that's the type of thing that I pride myself on and being a good human and, um, yeah, those words definitely mean more than anything I'll be able to accomplish out on the field,” said the former Philly firstbaseman. 

“Everyone wants to have success in this game and go on and have a long career, but I'm proud of the fact that I've found a way to impact guys in a positive way that, regardless of what I did out there, whether able to help guys through something or figure out something that, just wasn't clicking and or just, asking them how they're doing when nobody else is really looking.”

The way that Hoskins and Bryce Harper embraced at first base last night is a testament to that impact.  

When the Guardians signed Hoskins, they hoped he would have a similar impact on them as he did for the Phillies, a home run threat and right-handed hitter well known for being a phenomenal clubhouse presence. So far, that’s exactly what they’ve gotten. 

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