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Reading sluggers enjoying their personal home-run derby

READING - The two top sluggers in all of minor-league baseball took the field this week for batting practice, and Rhys Hoskins made an observation to Dylan Cozens.

READING - The two top sluggers in all of minor-league baseball took the field this week for batting practice, and Rhys Hoskins made an observation to Dylan Cozens.

"Man, I just feel like a better hitter here," Hoskins said to Cozens. "I don't know what it is."

Cozens and Hoskins - the heart of double-A Reading's potent lineup - each entered Friday with 19 home runs, tied for the minor-league lead. Their 38 combined home runs were the second-most by any two teammates in professional baseball, trailing only the 39 homers from Nolan Arenado and Trevor Story of the Colorado Rockies.

Hoskins and Cozens have hit 74 percent of their homers at Reading's FirstEnergy Stadium. The Phillies prospects have turned the hitter-friendly ballpark into their personal launching pad. But are their numbers legitimate or just another Reading surge?

"To me, numbers are numbers, and numbers don't lie," Hoskins said. "The biggest thing, especially when you start getting up into the higher levels, is consistency. If you can keep doing it at home, on the road, in April and August, the numbers will prove themselves."

The dimensions of FirstEnergy Stadium are compact but not miniature. The left- and right-field walls are 330 feet from home plate. The power alleys are 370 feet, and center field is a 400-foot shot. The distances are on par with those of Citizens Bank Park.

Hoskins, a 23-year-old first baseman, and Cozens, a 22-year-old rightfielder, are not the first to tap into Reading's power source. Ryan Howard crushed 37 homers in 2004. Darin Ruf racked up 38 in 2012. Their success at Reading propelled them to the majors. But a season in "Baseballtown" does not always equate to a major-league future. Mike Costanzo had 27 homers in 2007. Matt Rizzotti hit 24 in 2011.

Numbers at Reading can be deceiving, but Cozens and Hoskins are younger than Howard, Ruf, Costanzo, and Rizzotti were when they played in double A.

"It's kind of a guideline to where I want to be," Hoskins said about Howard and Ruf. "Like, 'Hey, they did this, and they got to the big leagues.' If I do something similar, then I have a good chance of being where I want to be."

Cozens and Hoskins both credited their success at home to the ballpark's backdrop. A grassy knoll and a row of trees line the area behind the center-field wall. Pitches are easy to see, the sluggers said.

Manager Dusty Wathan, who is in his fifth year at Reading, said his team comes to the ballpark excited after long bus trips on the road. The atmosphere at the stadium, which has the highest attendance in the Eastern League, translates to success at the plate, Wathan said.

Another factor is the wind. The ballpark sits off the banks of the Schuylkill. Strong winds blow off the river, and the flags in Reading's outfield are often flapping away from the field.

"It's obviously a great place to hit," Wathan said. "The place probably adds to your home run total. But, most of the balls that most guys hit, if they're not homers, they're probably doubles. So if you want to take a couple homers off and add a couple doubles, I think they're still doing all right. Most of the balls these guys hit are not catchable balls."

The Phillies drafted Hoskins in the fifth round in 2014. He batted .319 last season with a .518 slugging percentage and 17 homers between low-A Lakewood and high-A Clearwater. Hoskins made his mark in his first full season. Year No. 2, he said, is a continuation of that. His .551 slugging percentage is the highest among Eastern League batters who have played at least 50 games.

The Phillies lured Cozens with a sizable bonus in 2012 after drafting him in the second round. They were intrigued by his power potential. He is 6-foot-6 and 235 pounds. Cozens appears built to hit homers, and this year he finally is. He had to become a better hitter before he could hit for power. He batted a career-best .286 last season but had just eight homers.

Cozens entered Friday with a .908 on-base-plus-slugging percentage, which leads all Eastern League batters who have played at least 50 games. His biggest flaw is his strikeouts. Almost one-third of his plate appearances have ended with a strikeout. He entered Friday with at least one strikeout in 29 of his last 31 games. Those numbers will likely have to come down before he is promoted to triple A.

Cozens and Hoskins could move to triple A this summer. Their power will be tested. Coca-Cola Park - home of the triple-A Lehigh Valley IronPigs - has dimensions similar to Reading's but does not have the reputation of being a hitter's park. It will be up to Cozens and Hoskins to change that.

"There are other players that have played here last year and didn't put up that great of power numbers," Cozens said. "You can say what you want about the ballpark. Whatever they want to say."

mbreen@phillynews.com

@matt_breen