Andrew Vaughn and Jacob Misiorowski discuss Brewers playoff win Oct. 7
Andrew Vaughn hit a three-run homer and Jacob Misiorowski worked three innings of relief in a 7-3 win over the Cubs in NLDS Game 2 on Oct. 7.
- Rhys Hoskins was left off the Milwaukee Brewers’ National League Division Series roster.
- Hoskins was the team’s best hitter before a thumb sprain in July sidelined him for nearly two months.
- Upon his return, Hoskins was supplanted at first base by Andrew Vaughn and relegated to the bench.
- Despite his disappointment, Hoskins has embraced a role as a cheerleader and mentor from the dugout.
If you watch the reaction from the home dugout on William Contreras’ go-ahead home run in Game 2 of the National League Division Series against the Chicago Cubs, the most excited member of the Milwaukee Brewers might have been someone who’s not even on the roster.
Toward the back of the celebratory line of high fives for Contreras was Rhys Hoskins, hat twirling in his right hand as he jumped up and down while the Brewers catcher approached him.
This – relegated to a spot on the dugout railing rather than the infield dirt – is not where Hoskins envisioned himself being this postseason. Yet, because of the circumstances that played out over the season’s final three months for Hoskins and the Brewers, it’s the one he finds himself in.
Hoskins is disappointed – frustrated, even, he will admit – but is trying to keep his focus on helping the team in this unfamiliar role of cheerleader.
“I want to be out there with these guys,” Hoskins said before the Brewers beat the Cubs, 7-3, on Oct. 6. “I’m as competitive as anybody else. But you got to play the hand that you’re dealt and try to help these guys accomplish the goal we set out to do.”
The hand Hoskins has been dealt is twofold.
One one hand, Hoskins will make $34 million across his two seasons with Milwaukee. That’s a healthy chunk of change by any stretch of the imagination.
On the other, though, is the more human element. Hoskins was the Brewers’ best hitter through the first two months of the season. When an errant throw took him into the basepath and resulted in a sprained thumb on July 5, he had a .767 OPS.
By the time Hoskins returned from the injury in early September, he had been fully supplanted as the starting first baseman by Andrew Vaughn. A couple of weeks later, it was clear Hoskins, relegated to sporadic, low-leverage pinch hitting duties, wasn’t even in the team’s primary postseason plans.
Hoskins was understanding when the Brewers told him he would be coming off the bench in favor of Vaughn upon being activated from the injured list on Sept. 9. The ensuing hard conversation he had with the team, the one in which he found out he wasn’t on the NLDS roster, was much more brief.
“Wasn’t much, man,” Hoskins said. “Wish I had more for you.”
It would be easy to show up to the park and be frustrated, Hoskins says, but his reputation throughout his career is that of being a true professional. It’s a big reason manager Pat Murphy wants to keep him heavily involved in the day-to-day operations of the club even if he isn’t stepping into the box.
“He’s a great voice for these young players,” Murphy said. “Just him walking by somebody and saying, after an at-bat or something, he’ll pat them or say, ‘Hey, you got another one, get it out of your mind,’ or whatever it is. He’s a calming force. He’s also well-respected and being genuine really adds to our whole unit. It’s not easy on him. He had a .750 OPS this year, so it’s not like he didn’t play good. We as a team weren’t playing as good when he was playing good, so he doesn’t look like he had the impact that he might have had.”
Said Hoskins: “Just as a human, it’s tough. But Murph said this before and it really resonates with our group: It’s not how you feel, it’s how you act. That’s what I’m trying to do every day.”
How that looks for Hoskins, who had been an everyday player at every step of his career up until September, can take different forms.
“It changes everyday,” Hoskins said. “I don’t really know. I’ve never really been in this position. I’m just trying to take it day by day and figure out different ways where I can help out.”
Given the Brewers’ appreciation for Brandon Lockridge’s speed and defense on the final roster spot for position players, it would seemingly take an injury to another player for Hoskins to make his way onto the roster the remainder of the postseason.
But while Hoskins’ playing time in Milwaukee might be done, he doesn’t feel he’s closed the final page in his chapter here.
“I don’t know if I’m ready to answer that,” Hoskins said when asked how he would sum up his two years with the Brewers. “I feel like my time here isn’t done yet.”
