MILWAUKEE -- Rhys Hoskins was never concerned with his slow start to 2025.
The Brewers’ first baseman was batting just .182 over the first 17 games of the year, with only one extra-base hit to his name. Still, Hoskins remained unfazed, maintaining his confidence even if his numbers were doing little to fuel it.
“The slug will come if the hard contact is there,” Hoskins said at the time.
That hard contact was certainly there, and over the next 33 games, the slug arrived in full force.
Hoskins, who entered Wednesday’s series finale against the Orioles hitting the ball harder than he ever had in his eight-year career, cracked his second homer in as many games with a solo shot in the sixth. The blast, which served as the latest big hit in a torrid stretch full of them, represented a silver lining for both Hoskins and Milwaukee during a back-and-forth, 8-4 loss in 11 innings at American Family Field.
“This game is hard because you’ve just got to trust the work that you’re doing, even when the results aren't showing up,” Hoskins said. “Even when the slug was not coming earlier, [I was] still getting some decent results, but that’s just not what I’m typically used to.
“We spend hours daily working on trying to feel what we know is normal, so it’s nice to get some good results.”
Labeling the numbers Hoskins has put up recently as simply “good results” undercuts just how effective he’s been for a Milwaukee lineup that has spent the bulk of the month struggling to regain its footing. While several key members of the Brewers’ offense are working to find consistency, Hoskins has been on an absolute tear since openly shaking off his early-season woes.
After his 2-for-5 outing on Wednesday, Milwaukee’s first baseman is slashing .349/.442/.615 over his past 33 games. Driving the performance is the fact that many of his metrics are reaching heights he's never seen before.
Hoskins entered Wednesday producing career highs with both his hard-hit rate (46.8%) and average exit velocity (91.4 mph). His .646 slugging percentage against fastballs is the highest he’s put up since 2017. Meanwhile, a significant drop-off in his chase rate (a career-low 18.7%) has forced pitchers to change their approach against him.
“I’m just more on time, seeing the ball better,” Hoskins said. “I’m getting myself into better counts because of that, and I’m either taking my walks or I’m making the pitcher beat me in the zone … and I’ll take my chances when the pitcher has to beat me in the zone.”
Orioles starter Tomoyuki Sugano tried to do as much in the sixth when he threw Hoskins a first-pitch 86.6 mph cutter over the heart of the plate. Hoskins promptly swatted it a Statcast-projected 404 feet to left-center, giving the Brewers a 2-1 lead on a day when both offenses initially had trouble gaining momentum.
The Orioles took the lead back after a two-run eighth, and though Milwaukee erased both that hole and a 10th-inning deficit in its attempt for its first sweep of the season, a three-run homer from Adley Rutschman in the 11th ultimately sealed Baltimore’s win.
Despite the outcome, the Brewers were encouraged by the fact the offense had taken strides to put a rocky stretch of games behind it. Milwaukee scored 14 runs over its three-game set with the Orioles, just as many as the team tallied across the previous six games, four of which were shutout losses.
The impact Hoskins had on that, as well as what he has contributed throughout the first few months of the season, was not lost on his teammates.
“[He’s] a leader in the clubhouse, being a vet and doing it on the field for us,” said Caleb Durbin, whose ninth-inning RBI single sent the game to extras. “It’s huge having a guy like that to take charge and lead us on the field.”
The Brewers still have some work to do to get their season back on track. Jackson Chourio is eagerly trying to put a recent 0-for-24 stretch behind him, while Christian Yelich is still working to find his rhythm after undergoing season-ending back surgery last August.
Knowing that, it’s hard to imagine where things would be were it not for an otherworldly start from Hoskins.
“He’s been terrific,” Brewers manager Pat Murphy said. “With [Yelich] not on it yet, Chourio’s been up and down, I think Hoskins has really picked it up.”