Phillies podcast: Rhys Hoskins on his winter in Philly, becoming teammates with Bryce Harper and walk-up music

Rhys Hoskins didn’t return home to California this winter. He spent his offseason in Philadelphia.

Sticking around allowed him to see the city in ways that are impossible when you’re playing professional baseball and work every night. And what did he learn?

“I think the difference between Philadelphia and some of these other big cities on the east coast is the people," he said. "Everybody knows it’s kind of more of a blue-collar town, people stick their boots in the mud and get their hands dirty and they work. And I think that contributes to the city feeling a little bit more like a town and the strangers feel a little bit more like friends and family.”

Hoskins also complimented the “incredible” food and said, if he gets his way, he’d like to spend his whole career here.

The Phillies first baseman elaborated on the city, his new teammate Bryce Harper and more on the latest episode of Extra Innings, a new podcast by the Philadelphia Inquirer.

Both Hoskins and Harper saw the four-outfield shift during spring training. Hoskins doesn’t think that was a fluke. Even though the idea might make sense, no one wants to be the first to do it. Will it change Hoskins’ approach at the plate?

“I’m not trying to hit ground balls,” Hoskins said. " ... If you want me to go up there with two outs and I see a four-man outfield and you want to try to punch something through the four-hole and get a single, I could probably do that. ... but now we got to get two more hits for me to score, or two more guys on for me to score.

“As the data suggests, getting three guys on with two outs isn’t something that happens very often.”

And when he’s getting to the plate ... what goes into picking the perfect walk-up song? And who has the best one on the team? Listen to the latest episode to find out.

You can find Extra Innings on all your favorite podcast platforms: Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Spotify, Soundcloud and Google Play.

Look for Extra Innings weekly throughout spring training and the regular season for analysis about the news of the day and discussions about what fans can expect to see on the field. Plus, we’ll also bring you exclusive interviews with Phillies coaches, players and executives, providing insight beyond what you can find on philly.com.

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Where you can find Extra Innings:

Apple Podcasts | Stitcher | Spotify | Soundcloud | Google Play