KC Royals: Five Key Offensive Players For 2015 Season

Kansas City Royals first baseman Eric Hosmer (35) – Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports

1) Eric Hosmer, 1B

A note to Royals fans – enjoy Eric Hosmer while you can. He recently signed a two-year deal for $13.9 million, taking him through his arbitration seasons.  If Hosmer hits like he did last year, over the next two seasons, the KC Royals won’t want to bring him back.

If he consistently produces at the level his potential (a tricky word, indeed) suggests, the Royals won’t be able to afford him when this contract is up.

There is no easy way to slice it. These next two seasons will be the last we see of Hosmer playing for the Royals. That being said, Kansas City needs him to finally become the hitter it was hoped he would be.

If the Royals are going to maintain the momentum they built during the 2014 post season, it is imperative that Eric Hosmer become a star, and hit at a high level over the next two seasons.  He is well behind some other young first basemen of similar age and experience, but there is still time for him to finally get it.

No more nine home run, 58 RBI campaigns like last season. No more .232 batting averages like in 2012. The Royals took a big chance by overpaying Hosmer over the next two seasons, based on inconsistent performances in his career thus far, because of the promise he has always shown. Of the glimpses of what Hosmer could be.

Dayton Moore and the KC Royals gambled that Hosmer would finally reach his potential sooner than later.  If Hosmer goes out and earns an even bigger payday for 2017, Royals fans will miss him, but that will mean he had a terrific 2015 and 2016.

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That means Eric Hosmer finally became the player everyone has hoped he would become, and the Royals will be a contender because of it.

For Hosmer to become a true star, he needs to hit between 25 and 30 home runs. He needs to hit around .280, and he needs to drive in more than 100 runs. He needs to become that powerful, middle of the line-up thunder stick. A batter that strikes fear in the hearts of opposing pitchers.

There is certainly room to grow. At this point in his career, Hosmer has been an overwhelming ground ball hitter. According to Fangraphs, Hosmer hits the ball on the ground 51.8% of the time. Compare this the numbers produced by Billy Butler. As frustrating as it was watching Butler at times, his Ground Ball Percentage, for his career, is 48.3%. Maybe there is a reason both hit just nine home runs last season.

Hosmer’s Line Drive Percentage (19.3% for career, a paltry 16.9% in 2014), and his Fly Ball Percentage (28.9% career, 31.9% in 2014) both need to significantly go up. He will never become more than an underachieving, mediocre, ground ball hitter until he does.

Eric Hosmer must make an adjustment in his swing. He must learn to get the ball in the air. If he doesn’t, he will follow Billy Butler out of Kansas City, leaving everyone whispering about what could have been.

The time is now for Eric Hosmer. The time is now for the Kansas City Royals.

Next: Salvy, Gordo, and Rios