KC Royals: Eric Hosmer Agrees To 2-Year, $13.9M Deal

Eric Hosmer agreed to a 2-year $13.9 million contract with the Kansas City Royals Wednesday, avoiding arbitration one day before pitchers and catchers are scheduled to report in Surprise, Arizona for spring training.

The deal will pay Eric Hosmer $5.25 million in 2015, and $8.35 million in 2016 according to website NBC Hardball Talk.

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KC Royals general manager Dayton Moore has finally signed all of his arbitration eligible players for the 2015 season, and now enters spring training with a fully checked off to-do list.

Eric Hosmer’s signing has to rate as something of a bargain. The KC Royals got Hosmer to agree closer to their arbitration figure of $4.4 million than his figure of $6.75, but Hosmer did get another year of guaranteed money. The deal also covers Hosmer’s final two years of team control, ensuring the sides will never have to face arbitration before Hosmer hits free-agency.

While Hosmer did not have a stellar year at the plate in 2015 (triple slash of .270/.318/.398), he did win his second gold glove and enjoyed an outstanding run during the playoffs.

In 15 post-season games, Eric Hosmer hit a robust .351/.49/.544 with 2 home runs, 3 doubles, 1 triple, and 9 walks. Hosmer attributed the breakout in October to shortening his stroke late in the season after watching video of sluggers like Jose Abreu, Miguel Cabrera, and Victor Martinez.

Whatever the cause, Hosmer played like the franchise cornerstone he was projected to be after getting drafted no. 3 overall in 2008. With Hosmer beginning his age-25 season in 2015, Kansas City Royals fans can only hope that his playoff heroics were not a short-sample mirage; but, instead, was due to hitting his peak.

Eric Hosmer enjoyed a strong rookie year at age 21 in 2011, slashing .293/.334/.499 with 19 home runs in 523 at bats. Hosmer finished 3rd in the rookie-of-the-year vote. Yet, he struggled in 2012, bounced back in 2013, and looked poised for a breakout in 2014 before struggling the first half of the season.

Year	PA	AB	2B	3B	HR	RBI	SB	CS	BB	SO	BA	OBP	SLG	OPS	OPS+
2011	563	523	27	3	19	78	11	5	34	82	.293	.334	.465	.799	118
2012	598	535	22	2	14	60	16	1	56	95	.232	.304	.359	.663	81
2013	680	623	34	3	17	79	11	4	51	100	.302	.353	.448	.801	118
2014	547	503	35	1	9	58	4	2	35	93	.270	.318	.398	.716	98
4 Yrs	2388	2184	118	9	59	275	42	12	176	370	.275	.328	.418	.747	104
162 Game Avg.	679	621	34	3	17	78	12	3	50	105	.275	.328	.418	.747	104

Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 2/18/2015.

Hosmer’s 1st half platoon splits in 2014 were an awful .219/.260/.382, which were so bad many fans called for his demotion to AAA Omaha. Hoz recovered in the 2nd half to hit .318/.370/.444 but still only posted a disappointing 98 OPS+ for the season (2% below a league average hitter, which is terrible for a first baseman).

According to USA Today’s Tim Heaney, Hosmer was a fantasy bust in 2014; but has to be considered a potential sleeper in 2015.

If Heaney is right, Eric Hosmer could finally become the slugger the KC Royals have needed for most of a decade.

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