Eric Hosmer Stats & Scouting Report

AB	6349
AVG	.276
OBP	.335
SLG	.427
HR	198

Full name Eric John Hosmer
Born 10/24/1989 in South Miami, FL
Profile Ht.: 6'4" / Wt.: 226 / Bats: L / Throws: L
School American Heritage
Debut 05/06/2011
Drafted in the 1st round (3rd overall) by the Kansas City Royals in 2008 (signed for $6,000,000).

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An Aflac All-American and preseason High School All-American, Hosmer is one of the most decorated prep players in this year's draft class. He played for Team USA's junior squad last summer and this spring is a member of one of the nation's top high school teams, which won a state championship. Regularly compared to fellow Floridian Casey Kotchman, Hosmer is a physical specimen with bat speed to spare. Swinging from the left side, Hosmer has as much raw power as anyone in the draft. His power ranges to all fields, as he is known for letting balls get deep and driving them for opposite-field home runs. While his approach at the plate is advanced, Hosmer's pitch recognition has been a concern for some scouts. In the field, he's a solid defender with athleticism and a well-above-average arm. He is the closer on his high school team, regularly touching 95 mph off the mound. While his actions at first base need refinement, he could be an above-average defender. Hosmer has the tools to be an all-star first baseman and has one of the highest ceilings of any player in this year's draft. As an Arizona State signee and a client of the Boras Corp., however, signability could be an issue.

Top Rankings

Organization Prospect Rankings

At its simplest, hitting has been described as "see the ball, hit the ball." Hosmer showed in 2010 how important it is to see the ball. After signing for $6 million at the Aug. 15 deadline as the No. 3 overall pick in 2008, he initially struggled to live up to his reputation as the best high school bat in his draft class. During his first full season in pro ball, he batted .241/.334/.361 between two Class A stops and was diagnosed with astigmatism. He had his vision corrected with LASIK surgery, and he looked like a totally different hitter last season. Recovering from a broken knuckle on his right hand in 2009 and improving his conditioning also helped. Hosmer led the high Class A Carolina League in batting (.354) and on-base percentage (.545) and showed increased power after a promotion to Double-A Northwest Arkansas, which he helped lead to the Texas League title. He rated as the No. 2 prospect in both leagues. After the season, he led Team USA by hitting .389 at the Pan Am qualifier before heading to the Arizona Fall League for some more seasoning. Hosmer's approach is very advanced for his age, and one scout likened it to Joey Votto's. He already likes to use the opposite field and has the strength to drive the ball out of the park while going the other way. Pitchers who nibble on the outside corner to stay away from his power are doing just what he prefers. The Royals would like to see Hosmer become a little more pullconscious, as they believe his home run numbers will jump once he turns on inside fastballs more often. He has shown the ability to do so and he has enough bat speed to pull good fastballs, but at times he seems reluctant to abandon the opposite field. He projects as well-above -average as a hitter and power hitter, with a swing that has drawn comparisons to Will Clark's with the same kind of high finish. While fellow Royals prospect Mike Moustakas gets his power from a big rip, Hosmer prefers an easier, if less powerful, stroke. After struggling against lefties in 2009, he showed no problems in 2010, batting .360/.409/.566 against southpaws. Defensively, Hosmer showed increased agility and good range at first base last season. The Royals believe he has Gold Glove ability down the road. He was clocked up to 97 mph as a high school pitcher, though his plus arm strength rarely comes into play at first base. He shags balls in the outfield regularly and is good enough to play occasionally out there if the Royals want to get his and Billy Butler's bats in the lineup in interleague games. Though he's a below-average runner, he knows how to pick his spots to run. Hosmer should start 2011 in Northwest Arkansas. A midseason promotion to Triple-A Omaha is likely, and he could make it to K.C. late in the year. He projects as the team's long-term three-hole hitter.
Hosmer received a $6 million bonus as the No. 3 overall pick in 2008, but wound up ensnared in the Pedro Alvarez signing grievance with the Pirates and was limited to three games after signing. He got off to a slow start in 2009 after doctors diagnosed him with astigmatism during spring training. The eye condition apparently developed over the offseason, as Kansas City's vision tests in 2008 showed no such problems. He also sustained a hairline fracture on a knuckle on his right hand, limiting him to DH duty in June. He hit just .241/.334/.361 between two Class A stops. Hosmer's outstanding raw power is still apparent in batting practice, even if it seemed absent in games last year. His balanced swing is pure enough that he should hit for average as well. He has a plus arm that rarely comes into play at first base, but he's an average defender with soft hands. The Royals hope most of Hosmer's troubles can be blamed on his vision problems and knuckle injury. He wore contact lenses for a while, switched to glasses and eventually opted for laser eye surgery in August. Whatever the reason, he struggled with pitch recognition and batted a feeble .155/.202/.207 against lefthanders. He was also less athletic than advertised, with heavy feet and below-average speed. Hosmer will head back to high Class A, where he'll look to prove that the 2009 season was a fluke and not foreshadowing. Kansas City still envisions him as its No. 3 hitter of the future.
As an eighth grader, Hosmer was a 5-foot-9, pudgy baseball rat. A growth spurt gave him a start on becoming a prospect, and he remade himself with an intense workout program. The most dangerous prep hitter in the 2008 draft, he went third overall and signed for a club-record $6 million. His pro debut was cut short when MLB ordered him to sit out after he got caught up in a grievance involving No. 2 overall pick Pedro Alvarez. Hosmer has the kind of bat speed and raw power that can't be taught. He and Mike Moustakas have comparable raw power, and the consensus is that Hosmer hits the ball a little bit harder. While most young power hitters are looking to yank and crank, he's very adept at sitting back and driving balls to the opposite field. He won't get to use it, but he has one of the best fastballs in the system, having been clocked as high as 97 mph. He has soft hands at first base and enough speed and athleticism to play in the outfield. Even with all his gifts as a hitter, Hosmer does need to develop a gameplan instead of just hitting whatever the pitcher throws. He'll wind up with below-average speed as he gets older. Like Moustakas before him, Hosmer is advanced enough to handle low Class A despite getting little previous exposure to pro ball. He should be the Royals' No. 3 hitter of the future.

Minor League Top Prospects

Hosmer was late arriving in Arizona due to his time with Team USA in the Pan Am Games qualifying tournament in Puerto Rico. His disappointing batting line (.203/.284/.291) in the AFL was due mostly to fatigue from the long season as well as a product of some balls just not dropping for him. He was making consistent contact but not driving the ball as well as in the regular season, when he hit a combined .338/.406/.571 at two levels. However, he still controlled the strike zone, and there were no problems with his defense.
Hosmer concluded a dismal first full pro season in 2009 by batting .206/.280/.299 in a month with Wilmington. He was bothered by a broken knuckle in his right hand and astigmatism, and he looked liked a different player after healing and having laser eye surgery during the offseason. He led the CL in hitting (.354) and on-base percentage (.429). "He knows the strike zone and can hit with two strikes," Frederick manager Orlando Gomez said. "He's gap to gap now, but once he learns to pull he'll be really dangerous." Hosmer has the bat speed, selectivity, strength and leverage to hit for power and average. Wilmington's Frawley Stadium can be a graveyard power, but he started to turn on more pitches and his home run production increased after he went to Double-A in July. Though he's a well below-average runner, he can steal an occasional base and is smooth around the bag at first base.
Like Moustakas, Hosmer made up for a disappointing 2009 season by raking all summer. Hosmer came up from high Class A and stepped right into the No. 3 spot in the Northwest Arkansas lineup when Moustakas moved to Triple-A in mid-July. Hosmer also hit six home runs in the TL playoffs, including a two-run shot in a 2-1 win over Midland in the penultimate game of the championship series. TL observers didn't see a whole lot to separate Hosmer and Moustakas at the plate. Hosmer has a smooth swing with good leverage, so some thought he might hit for more power than Moustakas. He's aggressive and can drive the ball to all fields, and managers also liked his approach and demeanor. The separation between the two comes because Hosmer can be attacked inside by pitchers and Moustakas offers more defensive value, assuming he stays at third base. Hosmer should be an average defender at first base and shows a good arm, but he still needs more polish. He's a well below-average runner.
For the second straight year, Burlington featured the top high school slugger from the previous draft. Mike Moustakas won the MWL home run title and ranked No. 1 on this list a year ago, but Hosmer confounded league observers. Bat speed and raw power were supposed to be Hosmer's callilng cards, and he showed them off in batting practice but not during games. He stood way off the plate, struggled with pitch recognition and swung through high-80s fastballs. He does have strength and nice loft in his stroke, and the big lefthanded power potential is still there, but scouts and managers expected more. Hosmer's vision may be an issue. He started wearing contacts at the end of spring training, switched to glasses at Burlington and eventually had LASIK surgery in late August, following an unsuccessful promotion to high Class A. His eyesight might explain his massive platoon splits in the MWL, where he batted .300/.406/.455 against righthanders but just .138/.205/.200 against lefties. Hosmer's athleticism also was less than advertised. He has soft hands and a strong arm, but he has heavy feet and below-average speed. Scouts didn't think he moved well enough to consider a shift to the outfield.

Top 100 Rankings

Best Tools List

Rated Best Defensive 1B in the American League in 2014
Rated Best Defensive 1B in the American League in 2013
Rated Best Hitter for Average in the Kansas City Royals in 2011
Rated Best Power Prospect in the Carolina League in 2010
Rated Best Batting Prospect in the Carolina League in 2010
Rated Best Defensive 1B in the Carolina League in 2010
Rated Most Exciting Player in the Carolina League in 2010
Rated Best Strike-Zone Discipline in the Carolina League in 2010
Rated Best Hitter for Average in the Kansas City Royals in 2009

Scouting Reports

Hosmer was late arriving in Arizona due to his time with Team USA in the Pan Am Games qualifying tournament in Puerto Rico. His disappointing batting line (.203/.284/.291) in the AFL was due mostly to fatigue from the long season as well as a product of some balls just not dropping for him. He was making consistent contact but not driving the ball as well as in the regular season, when he hit a combined .338/.406/.571 at two levels. However, he still controlled the strike zone, and there were no problems with his defense.