Kansas City Royals: 5 Reasons Why Eric Hosmer Is the Real Deal
When Kansas City Royals GM Dayton Moore drafted Cooper City, Florida native Eric Hosmer with the third overall pick in the 2008 MLB Draft, he knew that he was getting a very special player.
Hosmer had rose up the ranks after a great high school career, where he dominated at the plate, and also on the mound where he could throw up to 95 MPH.
After a big of a slow start to his professional career, he took off in 2010, batting .338 with 20 homers and 86 RBI combined in Single-A and Double-A ball.
After a torrid start to the '11 season in Triple-A, Hosmer was recently called up by the Royals to take over for the struggling Kila Ka'aihue.
With a large amount of hype already being placed on him, he still has to go out and prove his worth.
The following piece is why Hosmer is as great as everyone thinks he is.
Enjoy.
His defense
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One aspect of Hosmer's game that many don't seem to know as much about is his defense.
Many scouts have projected him to be a Gold-Glove caliber first-baseman at the major league level.
It's easy to see why many are so high on his defense, after he turned in a .991 overall fielding percentage in the minors and has made several good plays in his first three games with the Royals.
His patience at the plate
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Hosmer had an amazing .393 OBP during his minor-league career and has already shown that he has a great at the plate at the major league level as well.
In his debut on Friday night, the Royals top prospect worked two walks against A's starter Gio Gonzalez.
His ability to lay off tough pitches and work counts will make him an elite hitter for many years in the major leagues.
His power potential
3 of 5Even though Hos didn't hit many home runs in his time in the minors(29 HR in 272 games), the potential for big power numbers is still there for him in the future.
However, some of the homers that he did get in the minors were moonshots, with a few of them distancing about 450 feet.
Many project him to be a 30 homer, 100+ RBI, and from everything I have seen and read about this kid, he has a great chance to put up this numbers sooner rather than later in his ML career.
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He is mature beyond his years
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Hosmer many only be 21-years-old, but he carries himself as if he was in his mid to late 30's.
Many close to the talented, young first baseman have labeled him as a team-first guy that is always willing to put in the work necessary to get better each day.
He is not only very mature, but also has a high baseball IQ and is mentally strong enough to overcome an '09 season when he hit .241 in Single-A ball and be promoted to the big league team just over a year later.
He Is One of the Best Pure Hitters to Ever Come Through the Royals Farm System
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Eric Hosmer is an excellent hitter, as he has been known to spray the ball to all fields and hit for both power and average.
Some say that you could put him up there with some of the best Royals' hitters of all-time, such as Kevin Seitzer and George Brett.
Before his call-up last Thursday, he was hitting a scorching hot .439 through his first 26 for the Royals Triple-A affiliate, the Omaha Storm Chasers.
In his first six at-bats in the majors, Hosmer already has three hits, showing that he can hit well at any level of baseball that he plays in.
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