Phillies to play Bryce Harper at first base, likely moving on from Rhys Hoskins

Bryce Harper will play first base going forward, Phillies president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski told reporters Wednesday at the general managers’ meetings in Scottsdale, Ariz. Dombrowski reportedly called Rhys Hoskins on Sunday to tell him about their decision.

”[Harper] said, ‘I’ll do whatever is good for the club,’” Dombrowski said to reporters. “The more we talked about it internally, we just think it’s a good situation for us and a good situation for him.”

Dombrowski said he envisions Harper as the first baseman and Kyle Schwarber as the designated hitter for “the majority of the time.”

» READ MORE: Will Bryce Harper stay at first base or return to the outfield? The Phillies’ answer should be both.

When asked what this means for Hoskins’ future with the Phillies, Dombrowski declined to go into specifics but said this is “the situation” they are in, and that Hoskins, a free agent, understood.

”I did talk to Rhys on Sunday, and let him know of the situation,” Dombrowski said. “We absolutely think the world of Rhys and [wife] Jayme. They are wonderful people who have done so much for the community. I don’t want to 100% close any doors, but I’d say that’s the situation. He understood. If he’s not back with us, we wish him nothing but the best.”

Hoskins, 30, is the longest-tenured position player on the Phillies, who drafted him in 2014. He missed all of the 2023 season after suffering a torn ACL during spring training. He has spent his entire career with Philadelphia, slashing .242/.353/.492 over six seasons with an .846 OPS.

In a media availability a few weeks ago, Dombrowski emphasized the importance of defense heading into next year. The decision to move Harper to first base full time would reinforce that thinking. Even though he started playing the position on July 21, he finished his season at three outs above average, according to Baseball Savant, and one defensive run saved, according to FanGraphs. Harper was charged with one error in 303 innings at first base.

Hoskins — albeit in a far greater sample size — did not grade as well as Harper at the position. He posted a -9 OAA in 2022, was charged with a career-high 12 errors, and posted a DRS of three.

The decision to play Harper at first base full time will have ripple effect throughout the rest of the roster. It will undoubtedly help the Phillies’ outfield defense, as the Phillies will have the option of using two above-average outfielders at a time. Johan Rojas, Brandon Marsh, and Cristian Pache are all options at the Phillies’ disposal.

Nick Castellanos, who did not commit an error in right field last season, would presumably stay in right.

Dombrowski did say in late October that he wouldn’t “anoint” a spot for Rojas on the opening-day roster until the Phillies see more from him offensively, but on Wednesday, he mentioned Rojas as a potential outfield option.

“We’re really happy with our club,” Dombrowski said. “Really, from a positional player perspective, we’re pretty well set at this time. I’m not saying we can’t try to get better, now that you’re open to different ideas.

“You’ve got Castellanos, you’ve got Marsh, [Edmundo] Sosa is one of our backup guys. We’ll see what happens with Rojas, but we do think he’s very close. You’ve got Pache out there. So we’re pretty well set.”

Above all, this decision shows how much belief the organization has in Harper as a first baseman moving forward. Dombrowski lauded Harper for his ability to learn the position on the fly in the big leagues, a feat that he thinks only a few players are able to pull off.

“He made significant strides,” Dombrowski said of Harper. “I think he will become an excellent first baseman. And I do think he has the caliber of being a Gold Glove-type first baseman.”

Should the Phillies choose to let Hoskins walk, they will miss his bat. In a lineup that is quite aggressive, Hoskins provided some balance, chasing pitches at a rate of 23.2% in 2022, which ranked in the 81st percentile. He also walked a rate of 10.7% in 2022, which was in the 80th percentile in MLB.

He was streaky at times, but also showed tremendous power. Hoskins hit 30 home runs in 2022 and 148 over his six-season career.

Hoskins’ agent, Scott Boras, told reporters at the general managers’ meetings that there is a potential of a one-year deal for Hoskins, comparable to that of Cody Bellinger with the Cubs. But as of now, it doesn’t seem like there is a spot for Hoskins to see regular playing time for the Phillies in 2024.