Somehow, the Phillies are better off without Rhys Hoskins. Rob Thomson (and I) didn’t foresee this

Independent of Taijuan Walker, I don’t often disagree with Rob Thomson. Furthermore, like Thomson, I absolutely adore Rhys Hoskins, as do most Phillies fans.

So this feels as weird to write as it probably feels to read:

The Phillies are better off without Hoskins.

The Phillies let Hoskins walk as a free agent this offseason. He returned for the first time this week, with the Brewers, who signed him for two years and $34 million. Thomson said at spring training that his ball club would be better if it still included Hoskins. I agreed. Thirty homers a year and an .846 OPS vs. the Brandon Marsh/Cristian Pache left-field platoon? Duh.

Furthermore, it was Hoskins who — through four managers, two team presidents, and two GMs — created the inclusive, focused, professional culture that, the last two seasons, sustained the Phillies through slow starts that culminated in spectacular finishes. Any clubhouse that can galvanize itself while incorporating the personalities of existential Nick Castellanos, exuberant José Alvarado, skittish Trea Turner, and sulky Alec Bohm would make for a fine Ph.D. dissertation subject in group dynamics.

His bat-spike after he homered in Game 3 of the 2022 National League Division Series was the most electric sports moment here in the past 14 years. (The Eagles won Super Bowl LII in Minneapolis.)

» READ MORE: Taijuan Walker should lose his starting spot with the Phillies to Spencer Turnbull

After six years of excellent production — he lost 2023 to injury — and even better character, Hoskins received repeated ovations during the teams’ three-game series. He was showered with love when he was jogging on the field before the first game Tuesday; when his name was announced before that game; when he homered and stole a base Tuesday, the first time he’d ever done that in the same game; and at various other times as the series progressed. He is beloved, and rightfully so, and the way fans feel about him is nothing compared with the way his former teammates and front office feel about him.

But this isn’t about affection. It’s about chemistry, and psychology, and a lot of things that are completely intangible, but nonetheless real.

The Phillies lost their leader, and their best right-handed slugger, and they somehow got tighter, and better. Their 44-19 start is the their third-best start since 1976.

So, why is everything better without him? I don’t know.

Maybe it’s because the team is healthier … except for Turner, the $300 million shortstop who was hitting .343 when he hurt his hamstring and hasn’t played in more than a month, and seems likely to miss another. Maybe it’s because the team is still angry with blowing a 3-2 series lead to the Diamondbacks in the NLCS and draws motivation from that humiliation. Maybe it’s because Bryson Stott and Bohm, both first-round picks, continue to play like it.

Maybe all of this compensates for Hoskins’ absence. Regardless, his absence has not resulted in the void I expected.

I spoke with Hoss briefly Wednesday. He never wanted to leave Philly, but the change seems to suit him. He seems a little insulted that the Phillies didn’t keep him and pay him, and maybe a little hurt that Bryce Harper opted to leave right field for good and replace Hoskins at first base, but Hoskins has been rejuvenated by the change and he clearly is motivated to make his next deal a $100 million payday. He’s also playing on a first-place team in the lousy NL Central, which the Brewers won two of the last three seasons. He’s in a good spot.

So are the Phillies. Somehow.

We’ve seen this happen before.

In 2006, Pat Gillick traded Bobby Abreu (and the late Cory Lidle) to the Yankees for four players who, coincidentally, wound up having zero value. It was a historically bad trade.

Abreu was, by far, the best player on a series of mediocre teams that underachieved and had fired manager Larry Bowa and GM Ed Wade. Abreu gets little credit for his five-tool talent, his commitment to fitness, and his durability: he missed a total of 41 games in eight seasons. He was a stone-cold star who produced regardless of lineup support in a town that offered scant support of him. Philly’s regard of Abreu swung between indifference and disdain.

But Abreu owned the clubhouse, and he did it without trying.

» READ MORE: Dave Dombrowski built the Phillies to be this good. They’ve just never been this whole.

A week after the trade, Jimmy Rollins, who’d suddenly become the best player on the team, mentioned that Abreu’s absence created a void of presence and stardom into which he, Ryan Howard, Chase Utley, and Cole Hamels could step. Shane Victorino and Jayson Werth eventually became vibrant, fresh-blood replacements for Abreu in a suddenly dynamic, inclusive clubhouse, and so, in 2007, began five years of the Phillies’ Golden Era.

One difference between Abreu and Hoskins is, of course, Hoskins wasn’t the best player; Harper, J.T. Realmuto, Kyle Schwarber, Turner, and Zack Wheeler all were more valuable. However, the overall value of Hoskins and Abreu might be equal because, as Harper said, the clubhouse unquestionably belonged to Hoskins. When Hoskins missed last season with a knee injury, Harper called Hoskins the team’s “captain.”

Baseball teams seldom have captains, especially star-studded clubs. Yankees legend Derek Jeter was an exception. So was Red Sox catcher Jason Varitek.

So, who’s the new captain? No one, really.

This is the norm. Harper, Schwarber, Realmuto, and Turner share the responsibility, just like the Fab Four did a baseball generation ago.

That’s one reason why the Phillies are enjoying the best start in franchise history. Yes, they’ve played bad teams, and yes, the Phillies’ rotation has been historically good, and yes, they have six lockdown relievers. But, due to its everyday nature, culture and atmosphere matter more in baseball than in any other sport.

Hoskins created this culture. It is his greatest legacy, more than his 148 homers and 405 RBI.

“That’s something to be proud of, right?” he said Wednesday.

Absolutely.