Leader Watch: Hoskins' quick climb to 10 HRs

Rhys Hoskins continues to rewrite baseball history after becoming the fastest player since at least 1913 to 10 career home runs, reaching the mark in his 17th career game on Saturday night. In his 57th at-bat of the season, Hoskins belted a two-run shot off Cubs right-hander Kyle Hendricks in the first inning of the Phillies' 17-2 loss at Citizens Bank Park.
The 24-year-old rookie, ranked as the Phillies' No. 6 prospect according to MLBPipeline.com, also got to nine home runs faster than anyone since 1913, reaching that mark in his 16th game on Friday night. Since his callup from Triple-A Lehigh Valley on Aug. 10, Hoskins is slashing .300/.417/.817 with a double and 11 walks to go along with the 10 homers.
Trevor Story (2016) and George Scott (1966) had been the previous fastest players, in terms of career games, to reach 10 home runs, each doing so in their 21st career game. By comparison, Story was slashing .253/.320/.678 in the game he hit his 10th homer. Scott was slashing .329/.407/.810.

While we don't have Statcast™ data for Scott's homers back in '66, we do for Story's from last season and Hoskins' from this season. Story barreled eight of his first 10 homers, and they traveled an average projected distance of 418 feet. Hoskins barreled seven of his first 10 homers, and they traveled an average projected distance of 400 feet. Story's average exit velocity on those first 10 homers was 104.1 mph, whereas Hoskins' was 103.1 mph.
Story's longest homer of those first 10 was a projected 440 feet off the D-backs' Robbie Ray at Chase Field on April 29, 2016. Hoskins' longest was a projected 445 feet off the Marlins' Justin Nicolino on Wednesday, a shot that landed in the second deck down the left-field line at Citizens Bank Park.

Both Scott and Story began their careers in April, whereas Hoskins' case more closely resembles that of a player who last season became the third fastest to 10 career homers. Yankees catcher Gary Sánchez hit his 10th homer in his 22nd career game, and like Hoskins, was an August callup.
Scott went on to hit .245/.324/.433 with 27 homers for the Red Sox in 1966, being voted an All-Star and finishing third in the American League Rookie of the Year Award voting. Story's rookie season was cut short by a thumb injury in July, but he still ended up with 27 homers while slashing .272/.341/.567. Story finished fourth in the National League Rookie of the Year Award voting.
Sanchez hit .299/.376/.657 with 20 homers in 53 games down the stretch for the Yankees last season, finishing second to Tigers right-hander Michael Fulmer in AL Rookie of the Year voting.
Hoskins still has the rest of August and September to add to his credentials, but with Dodgers rookie slugger Cody Bellinger having been on a torrid homer pace since his callup in May, a Rookie of the Year Award seems very unlikely for the Phillies' phenom.
Nonetheless, Hoskins' prodigious home run display has given the Phillies a highlight in an otherwise difficult season, as well as potential for a middle-of-the-order star in the years to come.