Rhys Hoskins impresses in HR Derby debut

There’s no skill competition in any sport quite like the Home Run Derby. The best of the best came together in Washington for a spectacular display of power. One member of the Phillies had a night to remember. His name? Rhys Hoskins.

If you are a Phillies fan, who wouldn’t want to watch Rhys Hoskins blast taters all night? Hoskins came in as the eight seed, with just 14 homers on the season. He was up against Brewers slugger Jesus Aguilar and his 24 home runs.

Hoskins started rather slow, getting a feel for it. Then he figured things out, with a 463ft bomb the highlight of a 17 homer first round. It was plenty enough to upset a disappointing Aguilar performance.

His 20 semi-final dingers were the most in Derby history, even if that record only held for a few minutes, as Kyle Schwarber bested him as time expired.

I’d like to send my condolences to all of the balls that were harmed in the making of that Derby #OHMYGOODNESS

— Rhys Hoskins (@rhyshoskins) July 17, 2018

Rhys Hoskins represented Philly well with 37 home runs, 2nd most by a member of the Phillies in a derby. His farthest home run was 466 feet and the hardest had an exit velocity of 108. According to ESPN, he is the first player in Derby history to have 20 home runs in the semifinals.

For an eight seed, it was quite the show he put on.

On another note, teammate Scott Kingery updated his followers with pictures of Rhys’ dogs ignoring the other contestants during a night of dog sitting.

The eventual winner would be hometown hero Bryce Harper, who along with Hoskins put on an epic show. Maybe the night was one last play at convincing Manny Machado to travel with him and the Phillies after the All-Star Game.