Eric Hosmer

Eric John Hosmer (born October 24, 1989) is an American professional baseball first baseman for the San Diego Padres of Major League Baseball (MLB). He played for the Kansas City Royals from 2011 through 2017.

Eric Hosmer
Hosmer with the San Diego Padres in 2019
San Diego Padres – No. 30
First baseman
Born: (1989-10-24) October 24, 1989
South Miami, Florida
Bats: Left Throws: Left
MLB debut
May 6, 2011, for the Kansas City Royals
MLB statistics
(through 2020 season)
Batting average.278
Home runs176
Runs batted in770
Teams
Career highlights and awards
Medals
Men's baseball
Representing  United States
World Baseball Classic
2017 Los Angeles Team

A highly touted prospect coming out of American Heritage High School in Florida, Hosmer was described as a "left-handed hitter with raw power" by scouts.[1] The Royals selected him with third overall pick in the 2008 MLB draft, and he received a $6 million signing bonus. He advanced in Minor League Baseball before debuting in MLB during the 2011 season. He finished third in the Rookie of the Year balloting after the 2011 season after hitting .293 with 19 home runs in 128 games. Hosmer won consecutive Gold Glove Awards from 2013 through 2015 and again in 2017, when he also won the Silver Slugger Award. He was the MVP of the 2016 MLB All-Star Game, and was a member of the 2015 World Series champions. After the 2017 season, Hosmer became a free agent, and signed an eight-year contract with the San Diego Padres.

Early life

Hosmer's father, Mike, is a retired firefighter, and his mother, Ileana, is a nurse.[2] His mother was born in Cuba and came to the United States at the age of seven with her family to escape Fidel Castro's regime, growing up in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.[3] His parents met in 1979 when Mike was assigned to duty at Coral Gables Hospital in Coral Gables, Florida, where Ileana worked. They married four years later.[3] Their first son Mike Jr. was born in 1985, and Eric was born four years later in Miami.[3]

Growing up in Cooper City, Hosmer credited his family for helping him succeed as a baseball player. He began playing baseball at an early age, using a Tony Gwynn teeball hitter to take practice swings.[3] His father volunteered to work 48-hour shifts in a firehouse in Liberty City to focus on his son's baseball games which he usually coached.[3] The Hosmers traveled all over the state, and as far as Cooperstown, New York, home of the Baseball Hall of Fame, to play in baseball tournaments.[3] At home, Hosmer watched Florida Marlins games to study the hitting techniques of the team players in order to improve his skills.[3] His father helped him with batting practice after finishing long shifts at work, while his mother helped with his homework and recorded every baseball game to evaluate Hosmer's baseball ability and further hone his skills.[2] By the time Hosmer reached high school, he worked out "close to seven hours a day" and mainly ate protein, which helped form his muscular build.[4] Hosmer's family hired Bladimir Marrero, a highly regarded hitting instructor, to help with their son's skills.[5] His brother Mike also played baseball, receiving a scholarship to Florida State University. He was never interested in becoming a professional baseball player, however, and is a stock broker in Miami.[3]

Hosmer grew up a New York Yankees fan.[6]

High school career

By the time Hosmer was a teenager, he was a member of several Little League baseball squads that won a couple of state championships.[5] He attended American Heritage School in Plantation, Florida. His parents selected American Heritage because of its rich baseball program, which was considered to be one of the best in the United States, despite the expensive tuition.[3] By Hosmer's sophomore year, he grew eight inches in size, becoming a powerful prep prospect.[5] In his senior year, Hosmer hit .470 with 11 home runs, as the team was in the top 10 in USA Today's Super 25 rankings for most of the year and won a state championship.[3][5] He attracted twenty or more MLB and college scouts who evaluated Hosmer's every move.[5] Several of his amateur home runs had popularity in YouTube, which caught the attention of sports agent Scott Boras.[5] He received many achievements while in high school including being named as Florida's Baseball Player of the Year twice by the Miami Herald, a member of the Rawlings High School Gold Glove team and the American Amateur Baseball Congress Connie Mack MVP award.[5] Hosmer was offered a baseball scholarship to Arizona State University. Hosmer planned to attend Arizona State if negotiations with an MLB team did not go through.[4]

He was named as one of the top five prep baseball players in the country by several scouting agencies by the time he graduated in 2008, including number two by Rivals.com and third by both RISE Magazine and Sports Illustrated.[5][7][8][9] As "one of high school baseball top power hitters" by scouts, and a consensus top 10 pick, Hosmer was chosen by the Kansas City Royals in the first round (third overall selection) of the 2008 MLB draft.[4] Hosmer remained unsigned for most of the summer while the Royals general manager Dayton Moore and Boras, operating as Hosmer's agent, negotiated a deal.[4] During negotiations, Hosmer helped lead his team based in Cincinnati, to a second-place finish at the American Amateur Baseball Congress Connie Mack World Series.[1] Both sides agreed to a contract ten minutes before the signing deadline for drafted players on August 15, 2008. He received a $6 million signing bonus, the largest sum given to a draft pick in Royals history.[4]

Professional career

Minor leagues

Soon after signing his contract, the Royals assigned Hosmer to Minor League Baseball with the Idaho Falls Chukars of the rookie level Pioneer League. Before reporting to the Chukars, Royals general manager Moore told reporters that Hosmer would not be "rushed" to reach the Majors, stating that he needs to advance though the Minor League hierarchy in his "own natural pace".[10] He played a handful of games with the Chukars before a contract dispute with another Boras client, Pittsburgh Pirates second overall pick Pedro Álvarez delayed Hosmer from playing with the team.[11] Boras had claimed that Álvarez signed his contract after the August 15 deadline had passed; thus, he would not report to the Pirates.[11] The Major League Baseball Players Association filed a grievance stating that Hosmer's contract was also signed past the deadline and that Major League Baseball extended the August 15 deadline without the association's permission.[11] Both sides settled the claim a month later, allowing Hosmer and Álvarez to join their respective teams.[12] Hosmer never disputed his original contract.[12] Instead of heading back to the Chukars, Hosmer was sent to the Arizona Fall League to train.

In Hosmer's first full season in the minor leagues, he was assigned to the Burlington Bees in the Class A Midwest League. At Burlington, Hosmer struggled at the plate. By June 1, he had hit only one home run in 31 games while leading the team in strikeouts.[13] He missed some time with a left pinkie finger injury.[3] At the end of the season, Hosmer hit .241 with six home runs. He later mentioned the 2009 season as "a tough year".[3] In 2010, Hosmer was named the seventh best first base prospect by Scout.com.[14] He started the season with the Royals' Class A-Advanced affiliate, the Wilmington Blue Rocks of the Carolina League. where his struggles continued. He was soon diagnosed with astigmatism, an eye condition and had laser surgery to correct the problem.[3] Hosmer returned to the Blue Rocks a week later and his hitting significantly improved.[3] By May 23 he was hitting .388 with a .571 slugging percentage. He played in the 2010 All-Star Futures Game where he had four hits and two RBI in a 9-1 victory.[15] For his effort, Hosmer was promoted to the Northwest Arkansas Naturals of the Class AA Texas League on July 17, where in his first at-bat he hit a home run.[16] During the playoffs Hosmer hit six home runs, which was individually, the second highest total in a single Texas League playoff series. The team went on to win the Texas League championship.[17]

The Royals' farm system was ranked number one in baseball entering the 2011 season, led by Hosmer and another top prospect, third baseman Mike Moustakas.[18] Most baseball critics agreed that the Royals, a team that was known for mediocrity the past two decades, would be a contender within a couple of years, and they had nine prospects in Baseball America's top 100, a record for the publication.[18][19] Hosmer was ranked as the best first baseman prospect in Major League Baseball prior to the 2011 season.[20] He was also rated the eighth best overall prospect by Baseball America, and the top Royals prospect overall.[21][22] So much hype was placed on the Royals that general manager Dayton Moore traded the team's best player, Cy Young Award winner Zack Greinke to the Milwaukee Brewers for four top prospects, to focus on the team's future.[18] Hosmer began the season with the Royals Class AAA affiliate, the Omaha Storm Chasers of the Pacific Coast League (PCL). When the Royals purchased Hosmer's contract on May 5, 2011, he was leading the minor leagues with a .439 batting average and the PCL with 43 hits and a .525 on-base percentage.[2][23]

2011
Hosmer with the Royals in 2011
There's no question in my mind he won't end up being a special player because he's got all the attributes to being a special player

–Kansas City manager Ned Yost discussing Hosmer's MLB debut.[2]

The Royals recalled Hosmer on May 5, 2011.[2] Veteran catcher Jason Kendall was moved to the 60-day disabled list to make space for Hosmer on the 40-man roster.[24] He made his MLB debut at first base the following day against Oakland Athletics starter Gio González, replacing Kila Ka'aihue.[25] Prior to his debut, Hosmer was being touted by journalists as a "super-prospect" and the "most-hyped" rookie to debut for the Royals since Bo Jackson.[2][26] The Royals promoted Hosmer before a mid-June deadline in which the Royals could have avoided salary arbitration for an extra year.[27] Hosmer went hitless in two at-bats, striking out twice. He also walked twice and stole a base in a 3–2 loss as the Royals had the second biggest crowd of the season.[28]

Hosmer playing in position with Vladimir Guerrero on first during a game against the Baltimore Orioles

On May 11 at Yankee Stadium, Hosmer started as the cleanup hitter for the Royals; he hit his first MLB home run off Yankees pitcher A. J. Burnett. In his first month with the Royals, he hit .283 with five home runs and was named the Royals Player of the Month.[3] His batting average fell 14 points by the end of June, with manager Ned Yost citing "impatience at the plate".[3] He hit a game-winning two-run home run against closer Matt Capps of the Minnesota Twins on July 16.[29] The home run led the Twins to replace Capps with Joe Nathan as its closer the next day.[30] In the month of July, Hosmer was named the American League (AL) Rookie of the Month.[31] He had five hits, including a three-run home run against Brad Penny in a 10–2 win against the Detroit Tigers on September 20.[32] The next day, sportswriter Ian Casselberry of MLive.com called Hosmer a "Tiger killer" because of his statistics against the Tigers, which included a .346 batting average with four home runs that season.[33] He led all rookies in most major batting categories for September, earning him a second Rookie of the Month award.[34]

Hosmer finished third in AL Rookie of the Year voting behind Mark Trumbo of the Los Angeles Angels and winner Jeremy Hellickson of the Tampa Bay Rays. He hit .293 with 19 home runs and 73 runs batted in (RBIs) in 128 games.[35] Yost praised Hosmer, and another rookie, catcher Salvador Pérez, calling them "future perennial All-Star players".[36]

2012

On February 18, 2012, the Royals announced they had signed Hosmer to a one-year contract for the 2012 season. No financial terms of the deal were released.[37] During spring training, Hosmer led all players with 29 RBIs and had a slugging percentage of .714.[38] Discussing Hosmer's spring training, Royals Hall of Famer George Brett said, "He's a baseball player... He acts like a baseball player. And boy, he's going to be a damn good one, too."[38] By opening day, the Kansas City media was hyping Hosmer as the "face of the franchise", the city's " next future sports star", among other commentary after his performance last year.[39][40] He started at first base on opening day against the L.A. Angels, going 0-for-4. He hit a home run in a 6-3 victory the next day but later struggled, hitting below .200 for the first couple of weeks of the season as the Royals endured an 11-game losing streak entering April 24.[41] He ended the season with a .232/.304/.359 slash line to go along with 14 home runs and 60 RBIs.

2013

In 2013, Hosmer's defense earned him his first Gold Glove Award.[42] He finished the year with a .302 batting average, 17 home runs, and 79 RBI.

2014

On July 20, 2014, in a game against the Boston Red Sox, Hosmer was hit in the hand by a pitch from Jon Lester. At first, he was only day-to-day with a bruised hand. However, on July 31, in a game against the Minnesota Twins, he aggravated the injury on a checked swing in the fourth inning. X-rays revealed a displaced fracture of the third finger on his right hand. Hosmer missed four weeks due to the injury. He finished the season batting .270, 9 home runs and 58 runs batted in.

In the 2014 postseason, Hosmer helped lead the Royals to a record-setting run, winning three consecutive extra-inning games. After getting on base five times in the wildcard game against the Oakland A's, Hosmer also slammed a game-winning, two-run homer in Game 2 of the ALDS against the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. In doing so, the first baseman became the first player in MLB history to hit both a triple and a home run during extra innings in one year's postseason.[43]

Hosmer's walk-off sac fly in Game 1 of the 2015 World Series

In the early morning hours of October 6, after the Royals had completed their sweep of the Angels, Hosmer posted on Twitter, inviting Kansas City fans to come out and celebrate with him at a downtown bar, the Power and Light District. Eventually, it was reported, "...(h)ordes showed up, and many of the fans ended up with free drinks as Hosmer...decided to help pay for an open bar for an hour. With several teammates, he also sprayed some champagne into the crowd."[44]

2015

On February 18, 2015, Hosmer and the Royals agreed to a $13.9 million, two-year contract. He would earn $5.65 million during the 2015 season and $8.25 million during the 2016 season, and would be eligible for arbitration again in 2017. He would not be eligible for free agency until the 2017 Off season.[45] During the 2015 season, Hosmer had a career year with a .297 batting average, with 18 home runs and 93 RBIs.[46] Hosmer also recorded the final putout of the AL Central and the American League Championship Series clinching games. On October 23, Hosmer tied George Brett for the most RBIs in the postseason (23) in Royals' franchise history when he singled Lorenzo Cain home from first base representing the go-ahead run in Game 6 of the ALCS.[47] In Game 1 of the 2015 World Series, Hosmer overtook Brett's record for the most RBIs in the postseason with a walk-off sacrifice fly to bring in Alcides Escobar in the 14th inning, representing Hosmer's 25th postseason RBI and helping atone for an eighth-inning error that helped the Mets take a one-run lead.[48] Hosmer starred again in game 2 with two hits, a run scored, and two RBIs to help the Royals take a 7-1 win and a 2-0 series lead. On November 1, 2015 Hosmer scored the tying run in the 9th inning which eventually led to the Royals win in game 5 of the World Series[49]

Hosmer won his third consecutive Gold Glove Award in 2015.[50]

2016

On July 12, 2016, Hosmer was named the 2016 MLB All-Star Game MVP in San Diego. In the second inning of the All-Star Game, he hit a game-tying home run off of former teammate, Johnny Cueto.[51] In 158 games of 2016, Hosmer finished with a .266 batting average, a career-high 25 home runs, and 104 RBI.

2017

In 2017, Hosmer played all 162 regular season games and finished with a career-high .318 batting average while tying his best of 25 home runs. He added 94 RBI along with a career-best .385 on-base percentage. After the season, Hosmer became a free agent for the first time of his career.[52] He won his fourth career Gold Glove Award.[53]

San Diego Padres

On February 19, 2018, Hosmer signed an eight-year, $144 million contract with the San Diego Padres, the largest contract in Padres franchise history at the time.[54] Hosmer changed his jersey to No. 30 in honor of former Royals teammate Yordano Ventura, who had died a year earlier. Hosmer's previous No. 35 was already retired by the Padres for Randy Jones.[55] In his first season as a Padre, Hosmer hit .253 with 18 home runs and 69 RBIs.

On August 20, 2020, Hosmer hit a grand slam against the Texas Rangers, making the Padres the first team in MLB history to hit a grand slam in four consecutive games, following grand slams by Fernando Tatis Jr., Wil Myers and Manny Machado.

International career

Hosmer played for Team USA in the 2017 World Baseball Classic. He hit the go-ahead home run in a second-round comeback win over the team from Venezuela.[56] Following the conclusion of the tournament, he was named to the 2017 All-World Baseball Classic team.[57]

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