Rhys Hoskins “Is what he is” and he’s OK with that. I’m not.
By John Kincade
Let me first set the disclaimer that I’m not saying that my side in this discussion is the “right side”. I know that many will completely disagree with my opinion and I’m OK with that. Each of us views others differently. What makes one man tick is not the norm for another and that is fine. The problem is that sometimes one leaders persona can rub off on the others he works with. It can set a bad tone. In that case, I change it.
Rhys Hoskins has been described as “California Cool”. That’s where my critique begins. California Cool could have been applied to anyone that comes from that state. It didn’t apply to Chase Utley. Chase attacked the diamond with the intensity of an assassin. What does it take to win today? I’ll bring it. Who stands in my way? I’ll run over and through them. The results were quite cool to me. Laid back nonchalance never interests me in competition. The “well, we have another game tomorrow” attitude drives me crazy.
Hoskins isn’t the ball player that I want as a cornerstone piece. Last nights horrendous fielding effort and subsequent casual brush off explanation afterwards defines his career to me. There is no urgency. There is no fire. This from the guy who is supposed to be one of the leaders of a team full of young talent who are going to be expected to accomplish great things in the coming years. If the clubhouse had other veterans who were contributing AND were vocal, demanding leaders he could easily exist there. They don’t have them. They need them. He’s not it.
Rhys doesn’t feel the moment. The ticking clock or the desire that this city has to put a decade of nothing baseball behind them. It’s as if he screws up, looks in the mirror and says “I’m OK”. I don’t sense the passion and it’s something I need to see. You may not think it’s a big deal. I’ve been around and in many pro locker rooms. I believe it’s an essential part of the leadership dynamic. Just look at the Braves lineup, they have quite a few of those guys. Not everybody has to be the same, but you need more than you are getting from him.
I hope that Rhys Hoskins contributes greatly to the Phillies pulling off a post season series win over Atlanta. Then I hope he moves on and finds success elsewhere.
