A Tribute To Rhys Hoskins' Philadelphia Phillies Career / Phils Sign LHP Kolby Allard

Intro welcome in to another episode of Locked on Phillies and today is a bit of a sad episode reys Hoskins has officially signed elsewhere he's going to be a member of the Milwaukee Brewers I want to take some time to talk about what Reese Hoskins meant to the Philadelphia Phillies organization during his time here also the Phillies made a move they signed Colby Aller I'll tell you who he is and what you need to know about him and where do they look to improve next after this move a lot of stuff on today's episode of lock on Phillies you are locked on Phillies your daily Philadelphia Phillies podcast part of the locked on podcast Network your team every [Music] Rhys Hoskins Signs With Milwaukee day yes this is locked on Phillies I'm Conor Thomas your host thank you so much for checking us out we're part of the locked on podcast Network your team every day if you're consuming Us in podcast form today please make sure you rate and review wherever you get your podcast if you're watching on YouTube and haven't subscribed yet go ahead and subscribe to the YouTube channel it get you new notifications every time an episode is posted and today's episode is brought to you by FanDuel make every moment more right now new customers get $150 in bonus bets guaranteed when you place a $5 bet visit f.com SL locked on to get started and yes reys Hoskins has officially signed with another team reys Hoskins signed a two-year deal with the Milwaukee Brewers worth $34 million as of yesterday so ree Hoskins goes to Milwaukee Milwaukee is getting a great one before we Revel in the time that reys Hoskins spent with the Phillies organization you might look at that and say two years $34 million that's what $17 million a year that's not pricey why didn't the Phillies want to pay that and frankly Bryce Harper is and this is gonna be ironic as we get to more of like ree Hoskins Legacy with this organization but you could say that ree Hoskins is a big reason why Bryce Harper is here in Philadelphia he Bree Bree combine their names there Bryce Harper is a big reason why Reese Hoskins is not here in the city of Philadelphia anymore now you're not gonna sign someone to a$7 million year contract to be on the bench you're just not so it doesn't make sense for ree Hoskins to be here unless he was playing in the field and the only position he can really play as first base The Outfield experiments that the Phillies have tried with ree Hoskins in the past never really seemed to work and your outfield's pretty settled so yeah it's either Bryce Harper playing first base or ree hoskin's playing first base and Harper can't really play anywhere else due to his Tommy John in the Outfield kind of locked down and schwarber DH is there was just no spot for Reese Hoskins on this team it's unfortunate it's very similar to the Jean seura situation when Trey Turner came in last year and this just the casualties of improving the roster but Rhys Hoskins Tribute Reese Hoskins was just he was so amazing as a member of the Philadelphia Phillies organization he came into this organization at a time where they were in that dead zone of not making the playoffs and not having any type of success at the major League level and not having a great farm system and it was just what in the world is this team ever going to do to reach relevancy again and a lot of people point to Bryce Harper as the reason the Phillies have once again reached relevancy and more than relevancy they've been on an amazing run let's be realistic about this remember the narrative about that when Bryce Harper came here when he decided this sign here yeah he got paid like crazy so did Manny Machado so there was money out there from other teams Bryce Harper wanted to be in a city that he loved a city he could build a family in that was passionate that he felt like wanted him but part of the narrative at that time was also brce Hoskins Bryce Harper these guys are close friends their families know each other ree Hoskins was a drawing point for Bryce Harper to be here in Philadelphia if he's not here who knows if Bryce Harper's here who knows if that leads to jido resigning that leads to Zack Wheeler coming here that leads to all these guys schwarber casianos Trey Turner everybody the ethos of it very well could have been reys Hoskins talks Bryce Harper into playing in the city of Philadelphia or at least as a reason he's here so while we look at Harper as the guy reys Hoskins was kind of the guy before the guy and he also had moments while Harper was here it was not just oh this is a feel-good story because ree Hoskins was nice to a guy one time and that guy's a good baseball player no Rees in his own right was outstanding for the Philadelphia Phillies a lot of people who are negative on Rees Hoskins are going to always look at his defense say the guy couldn't field anything at first base he was useless there at first base he was a defensive liability guess what folks they're all kind of right like he was not good at at defense he was not a good defensive first baseman Kyle schorer is not a good defensive outfielder he got the benefit of the Hing you see what he me with his Bat and REE Hoskins had some huge it bats for this team none bigger than what you looked at back in 2022 in the nlds in the Philadelphia Philly first home playoff game in a decade and facing Spencer Strider you were looking at a tied 1-1 series and reys Hoskins busted that game wide open and then spiked his Bat to the center of the Earth's crust it was an outstanding moment one of my favorite moments honestly if bedum at the bank doesn't happen later on in that postseason run with Bryce Harper hitting the home run to send you to the World Series that reys Hoskins home run is probably the biggest one of my lifetime Matt Stairs is in the conversation as well Matt Stairs might beat him but what that signified the moment it created and it's still one of the loudest times I've ever heard citizens back Park it may have been the loudest like I remember it like it was yesterday sitting up in the Press Box and watching that ball SAR it was nuked like that moment itself was the culmination of the ree Hoskins experience because he slug through a lot of bad years and he never caused an issue in the clubhouse he was always a great leader and teammate he was a great guy in the community his wife jimie was awesome they were buying beers for people out in left field like the whole section not just individual people the Hoskins family was amazing to have in the city I don't care that he couldn't field a baseball like I I legitimately don't care that he couldn't feeli a baseball ree Hoskins Legacy in the city is going to be made by that home run off spener schrider the type of teammate and type of man he was and what he did for the community and the fact that he was in that transition from the doldrums the bad years the we're never going to compete for anything to the we're going on a magical world series appearance run and NL pennant winning run and it's also it's such a shame that his career ended with the Phillies the way it did with the torn ACL and spring training last year because who knows how different this team would have looked if indeed ree Hoskins had ended up playing first base the whole year like who knows what happens with that who knows how it plays differently if you have him available are the Phillies going back to the world series I mean there's an argument to be made that they were maybe a postseason performer away and REE Hoskins proved in 2022 that he's a postseason performer so I don't know he was a streaky hitter a very high ceiling sometimes a low floor but more importantly than all that he was a guy that deserved all of the love he got in Philadelphia because he was just it's rare that you see a player get the opportunity to win in a city and I I know they didn't win at all but go on a run and win in a city after endearing himself to the fan base as part of a losing team and being such a great guy in the community I can't say enough good things about re Hoskins I've had the chance to talk to him multiple times and before I did this I had a chance to run into him multiple times around the city I mean the dude there was like he'd just be at a bar and people would just be talking to him like it's normal I would be just going about my errands and I there was a time where I saw him he was at the teller next to me at the bank not siss Bank Park no he was at the teller next to me at a literal Bank he was just an accessible Everyman type of guy and it was amazing to see what he became in this city I'm glad he got the chance to make that 2022 run and honestly my heartbreaks that he couldn't do it in 2023 but if you're watching ree Hoskins leave this organization with anything but gratitude in your heart for that man I I don't think you're a true Phillies fan I think that should be the only feeling that anyone has towards ree Hoskins the rest of his family and his time as a member of the Philadelphia Phillies just a shame that he didn't get to realize the ultimate goal but Milwaukee is getting a great baseball player and a even better person and for those wondering when you could see reys Hoskins again Milwaukee comes to town for a series starting on June 3 in Philadelphia ree Hoskins will make his return to Citizens Bank Park then it'll be an emotional day for sure and I can't wait to see the video tribute and everything on that day but uh yes ree Hoskins officially no longer a member of the Philadelphia Phillies we kind of knew this was coming uh with everything going on as far as the positions that were being filled and what the Phillies were talking about doing but it's Now official the Brewer sign him to two years $34 million and there you have it ree Hoskin Stein is a Philadelphia Philly at least for now is done maybe he'll come back later on in his career coming up next though the Phillies not only lost somebody yesterday in reese Hoskins but they gained somebody else they finally made a move it's a minor move but who is Colby Allard Allard I gotta learn how to say his name right I believe it's Allard like Mard but who is he what does he bring and why did the Phillies sign I'll tell you all about Colby Allard next as we continue today's episode of Locked on Phillies first all I want to tell you about my FanDuel friends over at FanDuel the NFL regular season's over the playoffs are here but there's still time to get in on the action with FanDuel America's number one sports book right now new customers get $150 in bonus bets guaranteed when you place a $5 bet that's 150 bucks in bonus bets win or lose the app's super easy to use there are so many different ways to bet you can do live same game parlays you can find bets in the new explore tab that help you find the best bets possible you can make a parlay in the parlay Hub and you can find more popular parlays that other users have made it's a great great feature there's a lot of great stuff and there's plenty more too futures money line over unders all that typical stuff the regular spread you can make all the same old bets too fand is such an easy interface it's such a great app they're just really awesome plus I mean 150 bucks for any $5 bet win or lose who's not going to take advantage of that so visit fanduel.com lockon and make your first bet a layup FanDuel official partner of the NFL all right Colby Allard has Kolby Allard officially been signed by the Philadelphia Phillies now who is Colby Allard Colby Allard is a left-handed pitcher most recently with the Atlanta Braves in 2023 but before that he spent four years in Texas and then he was with Atlanta back in 2018 so he's one of those guys that starts with Atlanta goes to Texas has a good run leaves goes to Atlanta and he's worked largely out of the bullpen in his career he's had six years at the major league level so he does have some major league experience he's only 26 years of age and he's a former first round pick he was number 14 overall in the 2015 draft so high pedigree guy experienced 26 years of age this is a great signing for the Phil Philadelphia Phillies right okay well hold your horses a little bit let's look at some of the numbers so Colby Allard has only pitched over 46 Innings once in his major league career he's worked largely out of the bullpen his eras 2018 12.38 ra small sample size 2019 496 ra okay better better 2020 775 ra 2021 541 1 2022 729 2023 6.57 he's never had an RA below 4.96 that's only a hair under a five ER and as a reliever that's not exactly what you're looking for he doesn't give up a lot of home runs really ah he has lately though 29 in 2021 um nine in 21 Innings pitched in 2022 and then he gave up uh two last year in 12 in a third Innings pitch he's had some injuries which is why you'll hear some of these inning totals lower so that's the thought right little bit injured hasn't really been able to figure it out at the major league level a lefty with a high pedigree being a former first round pick especially in the Atlanta Braves organization is this a guy that the Phillies can get more out of so that's the thought right it's a lowrisk high reward deal also the contract signed it as split pay which what split pay means and there's a better term for it inure I'm sure that's just what I call it split pay it means at the major league level he's going to get paid something and then there's also something in the deal where if he plays at the minor league level he'll get paid differently so that is normally an indication that this is a player who's going to spend time at both levels he also has one more option one more minor league option so if the Phillies put him on the 26-man roster to start the year and he goes to the V pen they can send him down once over the course of the Season without penalties so we talked previously about optionality that's an addition to optionality so that's a good thing right so it's again low risk High reward but you might say there are a lot of low-risk high reward guys out there in free agency that have even a better track record than Colby Allard why him here's why the Philadelphia Phillies did it and it's exactly what we talked about as far far as what their strategy is going to be starting pitching depth and guys on two-way not two-way because two-ways a basketball term it's in the NBA but basically two-way contracts guys they're going to spend time in the minors and the majors which I imagine Colby Allard is going to do if he even makes to the majors which is a question mark he's again a lowrisk high reward type guy but we talked about how many starters you need and who can fulfill that role well in 202 won with the Texas Rangers Colby Allard started 17 games now he was three and 12 record-wise but the Rangers were not good that year that was terrible season for them he threw 124 two3 Innings and he also had a 541 ER the second lowest Mark of his career now if you need a guy to go out there and make a spot start or two a 541 ra is not terrible you could do worse and he has starting experience over the course of his career he started a total of 38 games in six years so he a starting experience at the major league level that's a good thing that's the experience that the Philadelphia Phillies won the fact that he could be a swing starter that he's comfortable in the bullpen comfortable in the starting role versatility you can use him any way you want he is a safety valve for injuries that is the only reason that he's here and that is why this move fits exactly with the narrative that I've been preaching to you guys they're looking for guys that can be Bullpen or swing starters they're looking for guys that can play at the major league level and minor league level because they have minor league options left Colby Allard fits into that perfectly a little bit more on him just so you know why his ra is where it is he's actually really good in walk R and he's been solid lately in his career in strikeout rate so he doesn't walk a lot of guys he does have a little bit of strikeout stuff but he doesn't throw hard he's more of a crafty Lefty he'll sit around like 91 92 uh Cut Her Off speed change up like nothing crazy special about this guy so you're not going to see him come in and light up the uh the radar gun you're not going to see anything like that he just he gives up good contact he's kind of a workaround pitcher he doesn't have great strikeout stuff but because he doesn't walk a lot of guys his ratios looks good but he he's more of a control spot up find a way to get guys out type of guy and a contact type of pitcher which is an ideal at ciens Bank Park and it is an ideal in this era of baseball but that's the type of pitcher he is if you don't throw hard you kind of have to become one of those type of pitchers so that's what you're looking at a guy that doesn't really throw that hard crafty Lefty might find a way to get some guys out of the major league level and could if there's an injury or multiple injuries find himself as a spot starter as an emergency starter for the Philadelphia IES in the 2024 season so that is your introduction to one Colby Allard and I believe that's a solid signing for the Philadelphia Phillies for what he's going to be they're not going to make splash signing so the question that you have to ask is not Talent level of the player it is experience of the player and is there experience in a role that makes sense for potentially helping this team Kobe Allard 38 starts at the major league level has played for six years at the major league level former first round selection he's a guy that has the experience that the Phillies want and the experience in the right role being that he started and pitched out at the Bullpen we'll worry about the ER when we actually see him at the major league level which ideally would probably be never it wouldn't make the major league roster and you'd have your better pitchers healthy but health is not a guarantee in baseball and that's not anything against Colby Allard it's just if everyone was healthy you wouldn't need any type of depth and there would be guys just that would never make a team doesn't mean they're bad baseball players it's just he's a depth piece a safety valve and we'll see if the Phillies have to use them at any point coming up this season but with that signing done with their first move since resigning arinola what's next for the Philadelphia Phillies I'll tell you my thoughts as we wrap up today's episode all right so you got the swing starter minor league op Bullpen guy fills a lot of roles a versatile left-handed pitcher do I see Colby Allard making the 26-man roster well that's a question I'll dive deeper into next time I do one of those projections I guess we'll do one coming up NE later this week or next week since we've seen a move from the Philadelphia Phillies and we know that ree Hoskins is not by any chance resigning or anything like that so I might have to update the 26-man roster sometime in the next couple weeks before spring training but the point is they made this move what does it show you about where they are looking to improve next I don't think the Outfield Market is settled as much as they'd like it to be but the fact that they've made a move to a reliever shows that they do think that that is settling down so I would imagine the next move by the Philadelphia Phillies is another reliever another guy with minor league optionality and another guy with some starting experience I don't know who that player is I've got to be honest with you I don't think a lot of Phillies fans knew who Colby Allard was or knew that he existed before the Philadelphia Phillies signed him yesterday and I gotta be honest with you I don't know who the guy is I had to do some research to even figure out how he throws what he does where he was drafted all of this stuff so it could be another no-name guy depth is important you never know when you're G to find the next Jeff Hoffman and I'm not saying that that's a prudent way to attack building a team but I'm just saying like these guys aren't immediate throwaways just because you don't know their names and they're also not being asked to do all that much so the Phillies still need to add a couple guys to the bullpen and a couple guys to the organization with minor league optionality that can potentially start in the future that's exactly what Colby Allard is but they also need to add an outfield depth piece still and I think they're going to do that I just don't think the market has settled yet so keep an eye on pitchers still I think that's going to be the next move or maybe next couple of moves for the Philadelphia Phillies and the fact that they've done something well who knows could come soon could find out later this week that they go ahead and add a guy so I'll keep you updated on all the breaking news obviously you'll get all that here on locked on Phillies and we'll break it down in our daily episodes but that's your thought process on where the Phillies go next according to Yours Truly let me know in the comments if you think I'm right or if you'd rather see them do something differently and also give some love the Reese Hoskins if you get a chance on social media or anything like that Instagram Twitter whatever way uh you follow him tell him thank you he deserves to hear it because he did a lot for this city and it's a shame to see him go sad to see ree Hoskins end his time with the Philadelphia philes by signing with the Brewers but reality of a professional sport and a couple of years here with reys Hoskins that a lot of us will never forget especially the bat Spike that's all for today's episode of lockin Phillies thank you so much for checking us out please make sure again you're raing reviewing subscribing to the YouTube all that great stuff we are part of the locked on podcast Network your team every day and I'll talk to you next time on the next episode of Locked on Phillies