Eric Hosmer: “The Papo Effect”
Credit: AP Photo
Why the Papo Effect??
Eric Hosmers nickname is Papo. Papo is a term of endearment, affection, and love. Commonly used to represent male to male affection or “brotherly love”.
Monday evening before the San Diego Padres took on their National League West Division rival the Colorado Rockies, Hosmer led the team meeting for the first time.
The only way to accurately evaluate Eric Hosmer’s, aka Papo’s, development is to start before he became a professional, a 2015 World Series Champion, or the highest paid free agent of 2018.
He has a very good baseball body and still has years to mature. Defensively, he has smooth actions with athletic movements around the first base bag. He also has good arm strength for a first baseman with solid carry. At the plate he hits from the left side with an open stance and very good bat speed. His swing is very fundamentally sound and he looks very comfortable in the batter’s box. Hosmer has the adjust-ability with his hands to go with the pitch and drive the ball to the opposite field. He consistently makes solid contact, and has projectable power, and should be a middle of the order run producer. On the mound he throws from a 3/4 arm slot with good mechanics. His fastball topped out at 83 mph, and has projectable velocity. He also showed a feel for his secondary pitches that are still developing. Hosmer projects to be a top two-way prospect, and is a must-follow.
2008 Pre-Draft Scouting Report: Eric Hosmer is a 2008 First baseman and Pitcher with a 6-foot-4, 210 pound frame from Cooper City, FL. He has a Big League body, with excellent strength and proportions and is in top level shape. Hosmer did nothing in Cincinnati to make anyone question that he is the top hitter in the 2008 class. He is a pure hitter with bat speed, confidence and a very mature ability to adjust to different pitches and make solid contact to all fields. Hosmer realizes he doesn’t have to show his light tower power every swing but it’s there if he sees his pitch. There haven’t been many better in the last generation of high school hitting prospects in our opinion. Lost in the talk about Hosmer’s hitting ability as a prospect are his other tools. He is an outstanding defensive first baseman with light feet and soft hands and polished balance round the bag. He threw 92 mph from first in infield drills, which is unheard of from a first baseman, and we’ve heard he’s thrown up to 94 mph this summer from the mound from the left side, although he didn’t pitch in Cincinnati. Hosmer has a verbal commmitment to Arizona State but he should be one of the top picks in the 2008 draft if nothing steps in his way.
Amateur Awards and Honors:
Selected to 2007 Aflac All-American team.
2007 National Showcase
2008 Rawlings Perfect Game 1st All-American.
Top 100 National Rank – Ranked 4th.
Top 500 National Rank – Ranked 4th.
Perfect Game Grade 10 – 10.00 – Jun 15, 2007
FB 80 Plus: 83mph – Jun 11, 2005
IF 85 Plus: 86mph – Oct 1, 2005
Top 10 first baseman Velocity – Ranked (3 of 10) 2005 Sunshine East Showcase.
Top 10 first baseman Velocity – Ranked (1 of 10) 2006 National Underclass Showcase.
Top 10 first baseman Velocity – Ranked (1 of 10) 2007 National Showcase.
Showcase Top Prospect list – 2005 Sunshine East Showcase, 2005 National Open Top Prospect, 2006 National Underclass Prospect Showcase, and 2007 National Showcase.
Showcase Top Prospect Team – 2006 National Underclass Showcase.
Tounament Most Valuable Player – Braves Scout Team – 2007 WWBA World Championship.
World Wood Bat Association (WWBA) Champion – Florida Bomber – 2006 WWBA 18U/06 Grad. National Championship.
WWBA Champion: Reds Scout Team – 2006 WWBA World Championship
WWBA Champion: Braves Scout Team – 2007 WWBA World Championship
MLB Debut: Kansas City Royals – May 6, 2011
Eric Hosmer was a 18-year-old first baseman and pitcher that was the Kansas City Royals first round (3rd overall) pick in the 2008 MLB draft. Eric Hosmer signed with the Royals receiving a $6 million signing bonus. Hosmer’s salary while with the Kansas City Royals – 2011 :$414,000.00, 2012: $502,500.00, 2013: $528,250.00, 2014: $3.600,000.00, 2015: $5,650,000.00, 2016: $8,250,000.00, and in 2017: $12,250,000.00.
Professional Awards and Honors:
Rawlings American League Gold Glove – 2013: Kansas City, 2014: Kansas City, 2015: Kansas City, and 2017: Kansas City.
Silver Slugger – 2017: Kansas City – American League (AL)
MLBPAA Royals Heart and Hustle – 2016: Kansas City (AL), and 2017: Kansas City (AL)
WBC All-Tournament – 2017: United States – World Baseball Classic (WBC)
All-Star MVP – 2016: Kansas City (AL) America League.
All-Star – 2016: Kansas City (AL)
Best Moment-Esurance MLB – 2015: Kansas City (AL)
Worls Series Championship – 2015: Kansas City (AL)
Baseball America Major League All-Rookie Team – 2011: Kansas City (AL)
MILB.COM Organization All-Star – 2010: Kansas City (AL)
All-Prospects Team – 2010: Surprise – Arizona Fall League (AFL)
Rising Stars – 2010: Surprise (AFL)
In response to Eric Hosmer’s impressive performance in the Arizona Fall League, one fantasy writer wrote:
Just outside Phoenix a murderer is on the loose. Tall, slender and scruffy in appearance, the serial killer has preyed on several innocent baseballs, routinely displacing the dented objects on a grass covered berm just beyond the outfield wall at Surprise Stadium. His violence is controlled, calculated and, to opposing hurlers, downright cold. When confronted by the cutthroat, no manager feels comfortable. No pitch is safe. No surprise Sherlock Holmes is sniffing his trail. Prospective fantasy buyers are too.
Baseball America Minor League All-Star – 2010: Northwest Arkansas Texas League
Post-season All-Star – 2010: Wilmington Blue Rocks of the Carolina League (CAR).
Futures GAme Selection – 2010: Wilmington Blue Rocks(CAR)
Mid-Season All-Star – 2010: Wilmington Blue Rocks(CAR)
After the 2015 World Series Championship, when the Royals visited the White House and then-President Obama, Obama tagged Eric Hosmer with the nickname “Hos”. Obama said at the time, “These guys are all great players. Can I say, though, the nicknames aren’t that creative. It’s like, Barack ‘Barack’ Obama. You know?”
Hosmer is coming off his best and last season with the Royals where he batted .318 with 98 runs, 25 home runs, 94 RBI, six stolen bases and an .882 OPS. Hosmer is a career .284 hitter and the .318 last season was a career high that was boosted slightly by a .351 BABIP, above his career average of .316.
Eric Hosmer Career Stats Summary
| LG | LEVEL | G | AB | R | H | TB | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | IBB | SO | SB | CS | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | GO/AO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MLB 2018 | NL | MLB | 3 | 12 | 0 | 4 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | .333 | .429 | .500 | .929 |
| Minors Career | Minors | 274 | 1016 | 152 | 317 | 502 | 69 | 13 | 30 | 165 | 135 | 11 | 177 | 20 | 4 | .312 | .393 | .494 | .887 | 2.01 |
| MLB Career | MLB | 1051 | 4003 | 547 | 1136 | 1757 | 208 | 16 | 127 | 568 | 362 | 33 | 717 | 60 | 19 | .284 | .343 | .439 | .781 | 1.70 |
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Hello, my name is Jeff Weber. I am a life long San Diego Padres Fan and a 27 year San Diegan. Stay up to date with Padres trade rumors, breaking news, prospects, injuries and in-depth reports on players here at EVT.