Position | First Base
Bats/Throws | Left/Left
Born | October 24, 1989 (Cooper City, Florida)
School | American Heritage Academy
Height | 6'4''
Weight | 215 lbs.
2008 Ranking | Not Ranked
Breakdown
The Kansas City Royals drafted arguably the best high school hitter in the draft last June in Eric Hosmer. With the 3rd overall pick, the Royals got a player with an outstanding bat despite being just (then) 18-years-old. Hosmer wasn't the first high school player selected in the draft, but many believe that he was easily one of the best hitters in the draft, including both college and high school players. He has a smooth swing with good power potential as a lefty. The Royals currently have 4 young, high-potential hitters (Alex Gordon, Mike Moustakas, Billy Butler and Hosmer) that project as middle-of-the-order hitters within the next 2-3 years. Despite being a high school propsect, Hosmer's advanced bat and good defense should allow him to move up quickly through the Royals system. There are comparisons to Casey Kotchman of the Atlanta Braves, but I think Hosmer has more power potential and by the same age, I expect Hosmer to have much more power than Kotchman. I think most of the comparisons are due to the fact that both are nearly the same size, both are left-handed and both are good defenders. Kotchman had great minor league numbers, but to be fair, he played in the Pacific Coast League, Texas League and California League which are known as being pretty (ok, very) hitter-friendly.
2008 Statistics
Level G PA AVG OBP SLG XBH HR K/BBR 3 15 .364 .533 .545 2 0 3/2
2009 Outlook
Hosmer is a very good hitter and shouldn't require a lot of time to reach the majors. That's why I believe he'll begin the season in Single-A with the Burlington Bees despite having only 15 plate appearances in rookie ball.
Video
Estimated Time of Arrival
2011
0 comments:
Post a Comment