Fantasy Baseball 2018: Can Rhys Hoskins crack the top-5 first basemen?

Phillies first baseman Rhys Hoskins had a great power performance despite his short time in the majors. Can a full season make him a top-five first baseman?

We saw some great power performances this season, most notably from Giancarlo Stanton and Aaron Judge. Though, there was a third player that would have made it a three-player race if he played a full season. Phillies first baseman Rhys Hoskins was called up on Aug. 10 and made an impact right away. Can he crack the top five next season?

Hoskins had a slow start, going 1-for-13 in his first four games. The next game? Hoskins crushed two solo home runs and the rest was history. He finished with 18 home runs, 48 RBI, 37 runs and a .259/.396/.618 line.

According to Baseball Reference, if he were to play a full 162-game season, Hoskins would have hit 58 home runs and 156 RBI. Granted, I would have projected less because of some adjustments to the majors.

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In just 50 games, Hoskins finished 47th among all first baseman on the Player Rater. That’s a great accomplishment in just a short amount of time. The Rater weighs steals more than the other categories, so his ranking would be a little higher.

Looking towards the 2018 season, there are a clear four atop the first base list. Those four are Paul Goldschmidt, Joey Votto (for those in OBP leagues), Anthony Rizzo and Freddie Freeman. I don’t have an order yet but they will be up there in some way.

The fifth spot could go to a couple of players. Cody Bellinger does qualify as he played 89 games at first. Jose Abreu will get some love, too. With Miguel Cabrera and Edwin Encarnacion struggling, Hoskins could easily power his way into the top five.

Citizens Bank Park ranked first in home runs according to ESPN Park Factors. The park ranked ninth in runs and 14th in hits. If Hoskins continues to play half of his game in Philly, which is more than likely, then the power will also continue.

Hoskins had 14 multi-RBI games and 13 multi-hit games. He had a 13-game hitting streak and eight home runs between Aug. 19 and Aug. 31. I forgot to mention, Hoskins had a 46:37 K:BB ratio. While the almost 1:1 K:GP ratio is not ideal, the 37 walks in just 50 games is a good sight.

Next: 2017 Fantasy Surprises and Disappointments

Hoskins could be overvalued in drafts next season. Like Judge, it takes just one owner to draft him five rounds too early. Though, I think with his solid OBP and power, Hoskins will be worth whatever round you draft him in.

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