There Is No Good Option At 1st Base For The Philadelphia Phillies
Yesterday, the Philadelphia Phillies suffered a brutal loss just a week before opening day with starting 1st baseman Rhys Hoskins tearing his ACL, effectively ending his 2023 season. With Bryce Harper already missing for a big chunk of the season, now the Phillies are missing another part of the middle of their lineup. The question is now raised: what is the best option at 1st base for the Philadelphia Phillies to replace Hoskins? Unfortunately, to me, the answer is that there is not a good option. No matter how you cut it, there are major downsides to just about every option currently facing the Phils.
First, the in-house options all have their flaws, starting with playing Darick Hall as your everyday 1st baseman. Hall showed some flashes of power last year, but he batted .083 against lefties and Rob Thomson showed no desire to give him real opportunities in general against LHPs. That’s not exactly encouraging. You could shift Alec Bohm to 1st base, and then play Edmundo Sosa or Josh Harrison at 3rd, but Bohm has already shown himself to be volatile in the field and mentally at the plate when his defense struggles. Messing with a young player who seems to be really figuring it out at 3rd also seems like a mistake. Oh, and don’t give me JT Realmuto or Kyle Schwarber at 1st; there’s just simply not enough depth at catcher or in the outfield to move either of them for more than a handful of starts.
Now, could the Phillies potentially bring someone in? The answer, for now, seems to be no. We are a week away from Opening Day, which makes the free agent options slim pickings at best. Miguel Sano is the only free agent worthy of a Major League contract, and he is a strikeout machine who hasn’t hit over .223 since 2019. Free agents aren’t going to cut it, but what about a trade? It’s just simply too early in the year to make one. Short of minor league prospects who don’t have a spot on the 26 or 40 man rosters, players don’t usually get moved this time of year because MLB rosters are getting set and teams that won’t be competitive at the deadline still have faith that something could break their way in the season. The trade deadline is a different story, and 1st base is now a near-certain need for the Phillies at that point, but now isn’t quite the time for that. The bottom line is that there are no great options for Rob Thomson to replace his slugging 1st baseman, and the Phillies will be left trying to withstand another big injury loss this season.
If you want to hear more extended thoughts on the Rhys Hoskins injury and replacing him, check out this video below for a full breakdown:
