KC Royals: Will Eric Hosmer Ever Be A True Power Hitter

KC Royals first baseman Eric Hosmer plays a position that usually elicits power at the plate.

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However while Hosmer, who stands 6’4” and weighs 225 pounds, is sometimes thought of as a power hitter, he has proven over the course of four-plus seasons that he actually is not.

As of today, Hosmer has played in 658 games or roughly 4.05 full seasons.

His 67 carer home runs average to 16.5 dingers per season. And that average has decreased since his rookie year. Below are his yearly home run averages, based on a 162-game season.

2011 — 24.1
2012 — 14.9
2013 — 17.3
2014 — 11.1
2015 — 14.9

After a 2010 minor league season saw Hosmer hit 20 home runs in 137 games (a 23.64 average) and his slightly higher 2011 output in Kansas City, it was thought Hosmer could turn in to a 30-plus home run guy in the Majors. In today’s game, that is easily considered a power hitter.

Instead, while he has shown some pop in his bat, he has gone long stretches without hitting a long ball. After hitting seven home runs in the first month and a half of the season, he has hit just one since May 14.

Madison Bumgarner has hit two since then.

That stings on multiple levels, but it proves the point that maybe Hosmer just isn’t going to be a home run hitter. Here are a few players who have hit more home runs than Hosmer so far this season.

Chris Colabello (9)
Dustin Pedroia (9)
Randall Grichuck (9)
Maikel Franco (10)

That’s not exactly a whose who list of long ball hitters. The Cubs Kris Bryant, who has played just 81 career games (all this season), already has 12.

He’s a home run hitter.

The point of this post is not to berate Eric Hosmer. He his having a fine season.

His .298 average is second among qualified AL first basemen (only behind Miguel Cabrera’s ridiculous .350 average), and his slash line of .357/.440/.796, is his best since his rookie 2011 season.

Among the same group, he is tied for first in doubles, sixth in RBI and third in runs scored. However, his eight home runs rank 13th.

Eleven of the 12 players in front of him, all have less than his 335 at-bats, while the Angels’ Albert Pujols has the exact same amount of at-bats, and 21 more home runs.

Maybe Hosmer’s triple off the top of the left field fence last fall during the AL Wildcard game was a sign of things to come. The home run just might not be in his repertoire.

And that could be okay.

Wade Boggs had a Hall of Fame career while averaging eight home runs per season. The late, great Tony Gwynn was one of baseball best hitters ever, and he only averaged nine per year.

No one is asking Hosmer to be as good as those guys. The fact he is a two-time Gold Glover winner helps, but everyone knows if you are going to play one of the corner infield positions, hitting, and hitting for power, is expected.

However, if 10-15 home runs per season is going to be his thing, he is going to have to make sure he stays around .300 and can consistently knock in 80-90 runs per season.

An article posted on MLB.com in May, shortly after Hosmer hit his seventh home run of the season, noted that he didn’t reach that number until September 12th last season.

Hosmer wasn’t too pleased when he was told of the stat.

"“Come on man, don’t kill my vibe,” he said."

Oops.

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