Rhys Hoskins missed out on a lot last season.
In addition to missing most of the final two months, he missed playing in those nail-biting games down the stretch, where he could have helped a Phillies team that finished out of the postseason race get a few more wins.
He was in a real groove after the All-Star Break – seven homers and 16 RBI in his final 18 games – when an abdominal injury cut his season short, and turned him into a spectator.
Stay in the game with the latest updates on your beloved Philadelphia sports teams! Sign up here for our All Access Daily newsletter.
“It was tough to go through,” Hoskins told NBC Sports Philadelphia's John Clark in Clearwater. “Tough to not be able to be out there with these guys as they’re going through the home stretch of the season. We know how much work we put together as a group. It stunk.”
Last season made an even decade since the Phillies made the playoffs. Hoskins has played in only half of those seasons, but he’s well-aware of the team’s October drought; if he needs a reminder, he only needs to look into the stands at Citizens Bank Park.
“I think it’s just some unfinished business," Hoskins said. "Let’s be honest, we know the decade it’s been since we’ve been to the playoffs. I think everybody in that clubhouse is willing to do everything we can to make sure that it ends.”
“We feel it. We feel it because we’re feeling the fans. We know they’re going to come out and they’re going to support us, but it’s also time to give the city a little bit back.”
MLB
It won’t be easy, especially as the Braves and Mets continue to add big-name talent. A lot of things have to break right for the Phillies to return to the playoffs, but Hoskins believes his team has what it takes to do it.
“I do. I think we kind of saw it last year, it was a competitive division, we kind of beat up on each other throughout the year," Hoskins said. "That helps us… we’re used to playing these tight, tense games. Hopefully we have some more of those at the end of the year, and we make them count when we got them.
“I know we say this every spring, but we’re excited to be here. There’s a different energy that I’ve felt here in the past. Maybe because we missed some time, but I think we also have a lot of exciting players.”