The Royals have avoided arbitration with first baseman Eric Hosmer by agreeing to a one-year deal worth $12.25MM, reports MLB.com’s Jeffrey Flanagan (on Twitter). The Scott Boras client is entering his final season of team control and will be a free agent following the 2017 campaign. He’d been projected by MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz to earn $13.3MM in 2017.
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Yeah I’ve always compared Eric Hosmer and Brandon Belt throughout their careers, and entering their primes, will still take Belt.
That’s actually a really good comparison, but I would have to disagree with you and pick hosmer over belt. Hosmer is a couple of years younger and I believe has a higher ceiling than belt.
Really? Hosmer was hardly league average last year
Always saw Hosmer as kind of a poor mans Joey Votto. But he doesnt always have the stats to match that.
Value wise (WAR) Belt is better, if only slightly. They are a year apart agewise, and Belt is going to cost 8.8 this year compared to Hosmer’s 12.25. After that, its FA for Hosmer but 16/year for Belt. The value vs. Cost leans in Belt’s favor plus his gap to gap hitting and on base skills will age better than power.
I guess they are about the same as far as hitting goes so far in their careers, but Hosmer is winning 3 to 0 in gold gloves and actually has a voice in the dugout. Belt is not the leader or fielder that Hosmer is.
Belt is a premier fielder with some of the best defensive metrics at 1B…gold gloves are popularity contests and also offensive-driven. Rizzo and Goldschmidt have won the last several NL GG at 1B, but Belt is also an excellent defender, tall and lanky and provides a great target to throw to.
Belt has been the starting 1B for 2 world championships, and has a career 127 OPS+ vs Hosmer’s 107.
I’ll take Hosmer to the Angels as a free agent. They’ll trade Cron. Lord knows Pujols will be playing for 20 more years