Longtime big-league first baseman Eric Hosmer announced his retirement on Wednesday at the same time he launched a new podcast venture called MoonBall Media.
Hosmer, 34, spent 31 games with the Chicago Cubs last season before being released in May. That stretch, as it turns out, will mark the end of a 13-year career that saw him bat .276/.335/.427 (107 OPS+) with 198 home runs and an estimated 18.6 Wins Above Replacement, according to the calculations hosted at Baseball Reference.
Hosmer spent seven seasons with the Kansas City Royals, who originally drafted him with the third pick in 2008. He arrived as part of a promising young core alongside Mike Moustakas, Alex Gordon, Lorenzo Cain, and Salvador Pérez that helped form one of the best farm systems in recent memory. Hosmer himself was ranked as a top-10 prospect by Baseball America in spring 2011.
Hosmer may not have lived up to the loftiest of projections that were placed upon him in his younger days, but he won four Gold Glove Awards and a Silver Slugger Award. He was also named the MVP of the 2016 All-Star Game, the only one he was selected for. Hosmer will perhaps best be remembered in Kansas City for his baserunning heroics during the 2015 World Series. New York Mets fans, avert your eyes:
Hosmer later, after a career effort in 2017, signed a lucrative free-agent contract with the San Diego Padres to provide a steady left-handed presence in the lineup. He never came close to replicating that banner year, however, save for an impressive 38-game run during the pandemic-shortened 2020 season. The Padres traded Hosmer to the Boston Red Sox during the 2022 deadline as part of their reshuffling to accommodate Juan Soto's arrival.
