You, “Well, it looks like the right URL. But I don’t recognize the site design at all and… ERIC HOSMER AS A SLEEPER?! WHO HACKED GREY’S ACCOUNT?! I wonder if they’re letting his mustache get at least 15 minutes of sunlight per day. SERIOUSLY, DUBYA TEE EFF?!” That’s right, over-the-internet friend, we’ve redesigned the site and now we’re here to redesign your mind on what you think of Hosmer. So, it’s a constant struggle of mine that I think I might be self-defeating. Do I self-sabotage? When choosing people or situations, do I go for the road less traveled not out of excitement, but because it will be more arduous and less likely for success? When I choose a girlfriend, do I try to find one that I know won’t work? Or do I find one that will work and sabotage the relationship? Better yet, is this why I’m interested in Eric Hosmer for 2013? Or so I said to my shrink. Luckily, she knows baseball and is familiar with Eric Hosmer. How could she not after last year? Half of my visits revolved around the Royals 1st baseman. “Grey, I want you to go home and write a sell post for Hosmer, then reduce it to two point font size and have it tattooed under your eyelids.” And that’s why I pay the big money to an non-accredited shrink! On the flip side of that coin, there’s an eagle. On the flip flip side, I refuse to draft Hosmer because of his 2012, then he produces in 2013. Well, that’s the dilemma: draft a guy that caused me so much pain to get more pain or not draft a guy and watch him succeed on someone else’s team. Here we have a crossroads. Maybe we should first look at what he can do next year. So what should we expect from Eric Hosmer for 2013 fantasy baseball and what makes him a sleeper?
Last year, if you drafted Eric Hosmer, you got caught up in a shizzstorm of bad luck. He didn’t have a disastrous K-rate, and his walk rate was actually up. With a .255 BABIP, he had the seventh worst BABIP last year. He’ll probably never be a .320 BABIP guy without a lot of luck, but he should be closer to .300. Put all of that into an easy-to-understand format, he had crap luck and didn’t start swinging at everything to get himself out of his slump. He remained patient. The pitches he did swing at, he pulled. This wouldn’t normally matter, but teams put on an infield shift and he hit into it. That could account for some of the low BABIP. He needs to go the other way more. Also, he was shut down in September due to a slight tear in his rotator cuff. Only Hosmer knows when that started to bother him. That should be healed by the spring. It’s been so long since we’ve said anything positive about Hosmer let’s remember he hit 19 homers, .293 and stole 11 bases in two-thirds of a season his rookie year, and he’s still only 23 years old. So, if he’s healed and can smack some pitches the other way to keep defenses honest, he hits 25 homers and .300 with 10+ steals. His health is the only element out of his control. If this were just a matter of him going to the opposite field, I’d say he’ll make the adjustments and you should draft him confidently. For 2013, I’ll give him the line of 75/22/90/.280/12, but keep an eye on his shoulder in the spring. As of right now, I’m liking him a lot for a bounce back and as a sleeper. Now, what the eff happened to the site design?!
