Rhys Hoskins: The Missing Piece for Cleveland Guardians Success in 2025

(Photo by Hunter Martin/Getty Images Hunter Martin, Getty Images)

The Cleveland Guardians are on the heels of a 2025 season where they stood atop the AL Central. When it was all said and done, after Detroit’s hot start and a middling fight from Kansas City, the Guard Dogs bested them all. Not only did they win, but they also did so in quite the unorthodox fashion. 

Cleveland didn’t hit. At all. They ranked last in hits during 2025 and still possessed nearly no slug. Most teams that struggle with batting average and on-base percentage find their wins via the three-run homerun and by putting balls in the gap. Cleveland does the contrary. They win on the margins, bringing in runners with intense small-ball and a ‘death by a thousand cuts’ mentality. One new signing suggests they might be trying to liberate themselves from this strategy. 

Recently, it was reported that the Guardians and veteran first baseman Rhys Hoskins reached an agreement on a minor-league contract with incentives if he were to break camp. Hoskins, 32, had a solid .748 OPS in 279 at-bats in 2025, posting mild success in a small sample. 

The addition of Hoskins addresses a gaping hole at first base that’s been present since the departure of the always fiery Josh Naylor in 2024. 

Hoskins is infamous for his bat-spike at the bank during the 2022 postseason. Not only did he live up to the big moments as a Philly, but he also mashed. Hoskins is the type of player where one specific moment, tends to outshine the rest of his career, which is unfortunate because it’s been a really underrated one. 

A career OPS+ of 120 is the kind of production you’d expect from a perennial All-Star, not a guy getting a minor-league deal. In 2025, Hoskins did something specifically promising; he didn’t chase. Power hitters who remain in the zone provide a unique threat that’s hard to come by. He paired this discipline with an elite launch-angle sweet-spot percentage and a high walk rate. Hoskins doesn’t need to hit 35 home runs for the Guardians to be successful; he needs to put up competitive at-bats and hit baseballs hard. 

Cleveland has been known for its savvy moves to reignite dwindling careers, and this looks to be the next chapter in a lengthy novel. 

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