Kansas City Royals Eric Hosmer Is The Next….???

So I guess we’re finished. Hosmer is the next Will Clark, right? Well…there is one other guy that comes to mind…Keith Hernandez.

Hernandez, like Hosmer, was a high school draftee and played bits of his age 20 and 21 seasons in the big leagues before sticking for good at age 22. Like Grace, Hernandez never had a lot of power, averaging 12 homers per 162 in his first four seasons. Here are his numbers:

[table id=20 /]

In his age 25 season (his fourth full year) Hernandez won the National League MVP playing first base for the Cardinals. He slashed .344/.417/.513 and won his second Gold Glove.

Hosmer probably won’t hit .344 this year…but those other numbers? I don’t know. Maybe. And I’m sure he’s well on his way to Gold Glove number three. Again…it’s only been 27 games, but Hosmer’s .933 OPS and 156 OPS+ are pretty similar to the .930 and 151 Hernandez produced 36 years ago. Plus Hosmer has enough swagger to pull off something like this.

Next: Who is Eric Hosmer?