Rhys Hoskins: Phillies have ‘chip on our shoulder’ after being ‘overlooked’ in season predictions

A few days from the start of the season, most pundits don’t particularly like the Phillies’ chances to win the National League East or end their eight-year playoff drought.

Rhys Hoskins has noticed.

"The confidence that this group of players that we have in our clubhouse has, we have a little bit of a chip on our shoulder," the first baseman said Tuesday during a roundtable discussion with Sen. Pat Toomey about the return of baseball. "I think we feel like we're being a little bit overlooked for how much talent that we have. I think those two things are a pretty good combination for a highly successful season for us."

Hoskins reiterated that feeling a few hours later before an intrasquad game at Citizens Bank Park. Assuming it’s reflective of his teammates, it wouldn’t be the first time that a team has rallied around believing it’s being underestimated and/or disrespected by outsiders.

But while that stance could serve to fuel the Phillies, particularly in the 60-game confines of pandemic baseball, Hoskins' evolving batting stance -- and the results that it yields -- figures to have an even bigger impact.

After a dreadful slump during the second half of last season, Hoskins decided to lower his hands considerably during spring training. But before COVID-19 brought everything to a stop in the middle of March, Hoskins’ hands were beginning to drift upward. Throughout this training camp, they have been even higher, though still not behind his head as in previous seasons.

"It's turned into more of a hybrid between those changes and what I've done in the past," Hoskins said. "I found myself getting a little bit too mechanical in some of these intrasquad and exhibition games. I talked with [hitting coach] Joe Dillon and the rest of the staff and we thought that the work we had done over the past five or six months was really going to help with something I was already familiar with, so I think we'll see the adjustments kind of form into a little bit of a hybrid."

Regardless, as the Phillies' primary source of power from the right side of the plate, Hoskins must produce more like he did before the All-Star break last season (.401 on-base percentage, .530 slugging percentage, 20 homers) than after it (.318 OBP, .361 slugging, nine homers).

Despite impressing again in an intrasquad start Tuesday night, top prospect Spencer Howard was assigned to the Phillies’ alternate training site in Allentown.

The Phillies can -- and probably will -- recall Howard after the season’s first week and still retain six years of club control. If they put him on the opening-day roster, it would start his service-time clock, the mechanism that determines arbitration free-agent eligibility.

“I thought he threw really well in camp,” manager Joe Girardi said after Howard gave up one run on one hit and two walks and struck out four batters in four innings Tuesday night. “We’re really excited about him.”

In particular, Girardi lauded Howard’s changeup and a “sneaky” fastball that comes out of an easy delivery. It’s conceivable that Howard will enter the Phillies’ rotation once he gets called up. Last week, Bryce Harper said “there’s a problem” if Howard isn’t recalled after five games.

The Phillies also assigned pitchers Mauricio Llovera and Addison Russ and catcher Logan O’Hoppe to Allentown. More players will be assigned Wednesday, with workouts beginning there Thursday.

X-rays on third baseman Jean Segura's left hand came back negative. He took batting practice and fielded grounders but wasn't scheduled to play in Tuesday night's intrasquad game even if he hadn't gotten hit by a pitch one night earlier at Yankee Stadium.

“All fine,” manager Joe Girardi said. “He wanted to play today, and I said no. It was a scheduled day off.”

Veteran infielder Josh Harrison requested and was granted his release, the Phillies announced, which might put West Chester native Phil Gosselin in line for a spot on the opening-day roster.

Gosselin has been blazing hot at the plate, with seven hits in his last four games, including four in Tuesday night’s scrimmage.

“He’s made a real push here, and it hasn’t [gone] unnoticed,” Girardi said. “They kind of nicknamed him ‘Barrels’ because he always gets the barrel to the ball.”

Jake Arrieta is scheduled to pitch in Wednesday night’s intrasquad game, which would line him up to make his season debut Monday night against the Yankees. ... NBC Sports Philadelphia will televise 56 of the Phillies’ 60 games. The other four will be on national television (Fox or FS1).