A First Half To Remember For Reading's Rhys Hoskins

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- It was just your average afternoon in Baseballtown on Sunday.

By average I mean the Double-A Reading Fightin Phils rolled past another overwhelmed opponent and first baseman Rhys Hoskins delivered key hit after key hit.

Reading beat Bowie 10-2 on to improve to an absurdly good 63-27, that is the best record in affiliated baseball. The 23-year-old Hoskins led the way in the victory with three hits and four runs batted in.

"I think being able to carry the best record in baseball into the All-Star Break is pretty special for our team, for our fans," Hoskins tells KYW Newsradio. "So that's something we pride ourselves on."

Listen to the entire interview with Reading's Rhys Hoskins:

Hoskins is a huge reason why Reading is having the success it's having. An Eastern League All-Star, he has blasted a minor league-best 25 home runs and knocked in 83 runs this season while playing in 85 of Reading's 90 games. He's batting .287 and slugging .573 with an OPS of .922.

"Our whole lineup hits," Hoskins says. "Starting at the top with (leadoff man Jesmuel) Valentin who gets on base as much as he does. It's always more fun to hit with guys on base. I'm not going to say hitting is easy at all. I think it's one of the hardest things to do in sports, but when you've got guys like the guys that we have in our lineup, it makes it a lot easier."

The Phillies selected Hoskins in the fifth round of the 2014 Major League Baseball Draft out of Sacramento State.

"In my mind I thought if I'm making good progress, I'm at a level each year," Hoskins says. "But it hasn't really gone that way, it's gone a little bit better, which has been awesome. I'm just trying to stay in the moment, in the present, and take every day as it comes."

The right-handed hitting Hoskins started his career with short-season Single-A Williamsport in 2014. Last year his time was split between Single-A Lakewood and High Single-A Clearwater. He hit .317 in 2015 with 17 home runs and 90 runs batted in. He is a career .290 hitter in the minors with 51 home runs. He breaks down his work with the bat.

"Our hitting coach, Frank Cacciatore, and I have had a bunch of talks about what kind of approach I should be taking at the plate," Hoskins says. "Especially now that I've had some success. He's really big on honing in on a certain zone, not necessarily a certain pitch or guessing, but as long as you're ready to hit the guy's fastball I think you'll have the best chance to hit a hanging breaking pitch or a hanging change-up."

Hoskins has joined outfielder Dylan Cozens in the middle of the Reading line-up to give Eastern League pitchers nightmares all season long. Cozens, who played in Sunday night's Futures Game, has 24 home runs this season as the pair push each other to be better and better.

"We definitely have fun with it," Hoskins says. "I'll just say that I think every athlete's a competitor. Everyone wants to be the best. I feel like if he hits one or I hit one, the other one hits one on the same day. It's boded well for our team and I think everyone likes a little friendly competition."

Everyone except perhaps the pitchers that have had to face Hoskins, Cozens and the rest of the Fightin Phils this season.