Eric Hosmer
Eric Hosmer | |||||||||||||||
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First baseman | |||||||||||||||
Born: South Miami, Florida, U.S. | October 24, 1989|||||||||||||||
Batted: Left Threw: Left | |||||||||||||||
MLB debut | |||||||||||||||
May 6, 2011, for the Kansas City Royals | |||||||||||||||
Last MLB appearance | |||||||||||||||
May 16, 2023, for the Chicago Cubs | |||||||||||||||
MLB statistics | |||||||||||||||
Batting average | .276 | ||||||||||||||
Home runs | 198 | ||||||||||||||
Runs batted in | 893 | ||||||||||||||
Teams | |||||||||||||||
Career highlights and awards | |||||||||||||||
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Medals
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Eric John Hosmer (born October 24, 1989) is an American former professional baseball first baseman. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Kansas City Royals, San Diego Padres, Boston Red Sox, and Chicago Cubs.
A highly touted prospect coming out of
After the 2017 season, Hosmer became a free agent, and signed an eight-year contract with the Padres. During the 2022 season, the Padres traded him to the Red Sox. The Red Sox released him after the season, and he signed a one-year contract with the Cubs.
Early life
Hosmer's father, Mike, is a retired firefighter, and his mother, Ileana, is a nurse.[2] His mother was born in Cuba and came to the United States at the age of seven with her family to escape Fidel Castro's regime, growing up in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.[3] His parents met in 1979 when Mike was assigned to duty at Coral Gables Hospital in Coral Gables, Florida, where Ileana worked. They married four years later.[3] Their first son Mike Jr. was born in 1985, and Eric was born four years later in Miami.[3]
Growing up in
Hosmer grew up a New York Yankees fan.[6]
High school career
By the time Hosmer was a teenager, he was a member of several
He was named as one of the top five prep baseball players in the country by several scouting agencies by the time he graduated in 2008, including number two by
Professional career
Minor leagues (2008–2011)
Soon after signing his contract, the Royals assigned Hosmer to
In Hosmer's first full season in the minor leagues, he was assigned to the
The Royals'
Kansas City Royals (2011–2017)
2011
There's no question in my mind he won't end up being a special player because he's got all the attributes to being a special player.
–Kansas City manager Ned Yost discussing Hosmer's MLB debut.[2]
The Royals recalled Hosmer on May 5, 2011.
On May 11 at
Hosmer finished third in AL Rookie of the Year voting behind Mark Trumbo of the Los Angeles Angels and winner Jeremy Hellickson of the Tampa Bay Rays. He hit .293 with 19 home runs and 78 runs batted in (RBIs) in 128 games.[35] Yost praised Hosmer, and another rookie, catcher Salvador Pérez, calling them "future perennial All-Star players".[36]
2012–2013
On February 18, 2012, the Royals announced they had signed Hosmer to a one-year contract for the 2012 season. No financial terms of the deal were released.
In 2013, Hosmer's defense earned him his first Gold Glove Award.[42] He finished the year with a .302 batting average, 17 home runs, and 79 RBI.[35]
2014
On July 20, 2014, in a game against the Boston Red Sox, Hosmer was hit in the hand by a pitch from Jon Lester. At first, he was only day-to-day with a bruised hand. However, on July 31, in a game against the Minnesota Twins, he aggravated the injury on a checked swing in the fourth inning. X-rays revealed a displaced fracture of the third finger on his right hand. Hosmer missed four weeks due to the injury. He finished the season batting .270 with nine home runs and 58 RBIs.[35]
In the 2014 postseason, Hosmer helped lead the Royals to a record-setting run, winning three consecutive extra-inning games. After getting on base five times in the
In the early morning hours of October 6, after the Royals had completed their sweep of the
The Royals swept the Baltimore Orioles in the 2014 American League Championship Series, as Hosmer contributed with a .400 batting average for the series. In the 2014 World Series, Hosmer batted .250, as the Royals lost to the San Francisco Giants in seven games.[45]
2015
On February 18, 2015, Hosmer and the Royals agreed to a $13.9 million, two-year contract. He would earn $5.65 million during the 2015 season and $8.25 million during the 2016 season, and would be eligible for arbitration again in 2017.[46] During the 2015 season, Hosmer had his best year to that point, with a .297 batting average, 18 home runs and 93 RBIs.[47] Hosmer also recorded the final putout of the AL Central and the American League Championship Series clinching games. On October 23, Hosmer tied George Brett for the most RBIs in the postseason (23) in Royals' franchise history when he singled Lorenzo Cain home from first base representing the go-ahead run in Game 6 of the ALCS.[48] In Game 1 of the 2015 World Series, Hosmer overtook Brett's record for the most RBIs in the postseason with a walk-off sacrifice fly to bring in Alcides Escobar in the 14th inning, representing Hosmer's 25th postseason RBI and helping atone for an eighth-inning error that helped the Mets take a one-run lead.[49] Hosmer starred again in Game 2 with two hits, a run scored, and two RBIs to help the Royals take a 7–1 win and a 2–0 series lead. On November 1 in Game 5, Hosmer took advantage of a scouting report on the Mets' Lucas Duda to score the tying run in the ninth inning: on a groundout to first, Hosmer broke from third to the plate and beat a throw which was offline. This eventually led to the Royals' win to clinch the Series.[50][51]
Hosmer won his third consecutive Gold Glove Award for the 2015 season.[52]
2016–2017
Hosmer was named the 2016 MLB All-Star Game MVP, played in San Diego on July 12. In the second inning of the All-Star Game, he hit a game-tying home run off of former teammate Johnny Cueto.[53] In 158 games of 2016, Hosmer finished with a .266 batting average, a career-high 25 home runs, and 104 RBI.[35]
In 2017, Hosmer played all 162 regular season games, finishing with a career-high .318 batting average while tying his personal best 25 home runs. He added 94 RBI along with a career-best .385 on-base percentage. He won his fourth career Gold Glove Award.[54] After the season, Hosmer became a free agent for the first time of his career.[55]
San Diego Padres (2018–2022)
On February 19, 2018, Hosmer signed an eight-year, $144 million contract with the
On August 20, 2020, Hosmer hit a grand slam against the Texas Rangers, making the Padres the first team in MLB history to hit a grand slam in four consecutive games, following grand slams by Fernando Tatís Jr., Wil Myers and Manny Machado.[60] Hosmer finished the shortened 2020 season slashing .287/.333/.517 with nine home runs and 36 RBIs in 38 games.[35]
During the 2021 season, Hosmer played in 151 games for the Padres, posting a .269/.337/.395 slash line with 12 home runs and 65 RBIs.[35] In 2022, he appeared in 90 games for San Diego through the start of August, batting .272 with eight home runs and 40 RBIs.[35]
Boston Red Sox (2022)
On August 2, 2022, Hosmer and two minor-league players (
In 14 games for Boston, Hosmer batted .244/.320/.311 with four RBIs.[35] On December 16, he was designated for assignment by the Red Sox following the acquisition of Wyatt Mills.[65] Hosmer was released on December 22.[66]
Chicago Cubs (2023)
On January 13, 2023, Hosmer signed a one-year contract with the Chicago Cubs.[67] He played in 31 games for the Cubs, with a .234 batting average, two home runs and 14 RBI before he was designated for assignment on May 19.[68] Hosmer was released by the Cubs on May 25.[69]
Retirement
On February 21, 2024, Hosmer announced his retirement from playing in an Instagram post while also announcing the creation of his own media company, MoonBall Media.[70][71] Although he had opportunities to continue playing, Hosmer felt that both his focus and physical abilities were not where they should be to justify continuing his playing career.[72]
International career
Hosmer played for Team USA in the 2017 World Baseball Classic. He hit the go-ahead home run in a second-round comeback win over the team from Venezuela.[73] Following the conclusion of the tournament, he was named to the 2017 All-World Baseball Classic team.[74]
Personal
In October 2020, Hosmer became engaged to Fox News sports host Kacie McDonnell.[75] The two married on December 31, 2021. They announced in April 2022 that they were expecting their first child later that year.[76] Their son was born in September 2022.[77]
Hosmer resides in Florida.[78]
References
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- ^ a b c d e Dent, Mark (August 16, 2008). "Royals sign top Draft pick Hosmer". MLB.com. Retrieved January 19, 2012.
- ^ a b c d e f g h Zillgitt, Jeff (April 10, 2008). "Big Floridian bashes homers, weighs options". USA Today. Retrieved April 20, 2012.
- ^ "Hosmer grew up a Yankees fan – ESPN Video". October 26, 2015.
- ^ "2008 Prospect Ranking RivalsHigh.com 2008: Top 100 Baseball". Rivals.com. Yahoo! Sports. June 2, 2008. Retrieved April 23, 2012.
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- ^ Fernandez, Andre (March 6, 2008). "More rankings recreation". The Miami Herald. Retrieved April 23, 2012.
- ^ Kaegel, Dick (August 22, 2008). "Hosmer makes appearance in KC". MLB.com. Retrieved February 14, 2012.
- ^ a b c "Royals' Hosmer can't play until ruling on Alvarez". ESPN. Associated Press. August 29, 2008. Retrieved February 4, 2012.
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- ^ Taulbee, Chip (June 1, 2009). "Travelers get a speed boost with Bourjos.(BASEBALL: Minor League Notes)". Arkansas Business. Archived from the original on September 24, 2015.
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- ^ "WATCH: Hoz to be a dad, shares video announcing wife's pregnancy". April 6, 2022.
- ^ https://www.si.com/mlb/2024/02/21/mlb-eric-hosmer-announces-retirement-touts-new-media-venture-podcast
- ^ "Catching up with Southwest Ranches resident and American Heritage product Eric Hosmer". August 12, 2013.
External links
- Career statistics and player information from MLB, or Baseball Reference, or Fangraphs, or Baseball Reference (Minors), or Retrosheet
- Eric Hosmer on Twitter