10 Reasons to Doubt Rhys Hoskins

Rhys Hoskins. He's a phenomenon. He's homered in five straight games and hit 11 homers in his first 64 at-bats. He's the first and only reason to watch the Phillies this season. He's what we've wanted here in town for a long time: A player who hits a home run, literally, every single day.

So why shouldn't you be excited about Rhys Hoskins? Oh, many, many reasons:

-Why wasn't he called up sooner? It's simple math: if Hoskins had been called up in April instead of August, he would have 115 home runs. Instead, he has just 11, and that's on Matt Klentak. Disgraceful!

-Is Hoskins from South Jersey? Is he an Eagles season ticket holder? Does he go on hunting trips with Carson Wentz? None of the above. And why hasn't Hoskins done anything to push the front office for a Mike Trout trade?

-Hoskins looks like the first baseman of the future, but he's blocked by the entrenched veteran incumbent Tommy Joseph. In fact, the Phillies' lineup is so loaded that every top prospect must play out of position. So sorry, Rhys, you're a left fielder now.

-Two words: Domonic Brown.

-Do you know how much money Hoskins is making this season? The rookie minimum of $535,000, pro-rated for one third of the season. So typical of the cheap Phillies, to pay their best player the least money.  

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-That said, you just know that as soon as he starts to decline, the Phils will give Hoskins a five-year, $125 million contract that doesn't kick in for two years, at which point he tears his ACL while grounding out to end a playoff series.

-The other night Hoskins hit a two-run homer in a 17-2 loss to the Cubs. Get used to that exact scenario, because it's going to happen a whole lot in the coming years.

-Can Hoskins pitch?

-What if the Phillies waste Hoskins' entire prime?

So in conclusion, get excited about Rhys Hoskins. But not TOO excited. Because there's a chance, however small, that he might not keep this up. 

Other Philly sports takes:

-What can we expect from the Eagles this year? As usual, it all comes down to injuries. If Paul Turner can come back from that fractured scapula by Week 1, I'm thinking 11-5. If not? 7-9.  

-My thoughts on the Soul winning the Arena Bowl again? It may be time for Jaws and Dick Vermeil to be put in charge of the Eagles.

-Why would the Flyers honor Eric Lindros? There hasn't been a ceremony for the '75 team in almost two years.

-LeSean McCoy, in town for the Eagles-Bills preseason game two weeks ago, ordered 200 Chickie's and Pete's cheesesteaks for his teammates. You have to admire a former Eagle continuing dedication to the 15th-best item on the Chickie's menu.

-Wide receiver Anquan Boldin retired last week, but not before breaking the all-time NFL record of "most times I've demanded the Eagles trade for a guy without it ever happening."

-The Sixers' new uniforms helpfully include a patch with the name of the website where you can dump your tickets after everyone gets hurt.

-All I'm saying is, if the city of Philadelphia put up a statue of Buddy Ryan, no one would EVER spray paint it or demand to take it down.

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