If Hosmer rises, so might Royals
SURPRISE, Ariz. — Something unexpected must happen to create a race in American League Central this year.
In a division that had one team with a winning record a year ago, that team — the Detroit Tigers — improved.
So what’s it going to take to mount a challenge?
If a breakout individual performance is required to catapult a team into contention, Kansas City Royals first baseman Eric Hosmer has declared his candidacy.
“We can play with anyone,” says Hosmer, on the verge of his first bigleague opening day and apparently a whole lot more.
“I feel like every time he comes up with a runner on base, he’s going to drive him in,” Royals manager Ned Yost says of the 22-year-old who drove in 78 last season in a rookie year that didn’t begin until a May 6 call-up.
If this spring is any indication, that was merely an appetizer from a rookie who had become the team’s cleanup hitter by late July. Through the end of March, he had 29 RBI in 26 games, the only player on any team with more RBI than games among those who had played at least five games.
“There’s still a lot more room to improve,” Hosmer says.
Teammate Alex Gordon called him the “best player in camp” last spring and since has amended his assessment to “the best talent I’ve played with.”
Hall of Famer and Royals great George Brett says, “Hos has a chance to be an All-star for a long time.”
For now, he’s the poster boy for a vaunted collection of young players who began showing up in Kansas City last season. Hosmer, new center fielder Lorenzo Cain and DH Billy Butler rank 1-2-4 in the majors this spring in total bases. The guy at No. 3 is Los Angeles Angels first baseman Albert Pujols.
“This is a motivated group,” Hosmer says. “The main thing with this group is (general manager) Dayton (Moore) doesn’t just look for the best talent. He looks for the best leadership ability. Guys who have the same goal — to win. Yeah, we’re young, but we have a really good chance of doing this.”
That’s an aggressive tone, much like the one Hosmer tries to set at the plate.
“Aggressive, but also being smart,” he says. “Not being aggressive on a pitch, but being aggressive on a zone. If you go up there having a plan, you set yourself up for good stuff.”
Hosmer has his eyes on ways to generate more RBI.
“Guys in scoring position, guys on third base with less than two outs. I want to be better at that,” he says. “With no guys on base, I want to see what the pitcher’s throwing. Obviously, with guys on base, you’re not going to get many good pitches to hit, so you get a chance to jump on a pitch, you want to jump on it.”
If it works, it might be a way for the Royals to jump up and be noticed in the AL Central.