KANSAS CITY, Mo. – There are plenty of folks – fans and even some media members – who have leaped off the Eric Hosmer bandwagon this season.
But Royals general manager Dayton Moore isn't among them.
Moore remains a staunch believer that Hosmer, the Royals' 22-year-old first baseman, will bounce back with a big offensive year in 2013.
"Everything that Eric has done this year in terms of adapting and keeping his work ethic," Moore told FOXSportsKansasCity.com, "has given us complete confidence in him. He has handled himself tremendously.
"The truth is, he's a young guy. Very young. He would be a senior at Arizona State right now. Instead he's here in the big leagues and he's contributing on all levels right now.
"We've got 63 or 64 wins and in most of those wins, Eric Hosmer has had a part in those wins, and many times a big part. We're very pleased with the progress he's made."
When all is said and done this season, Hosmer's numbers actually won't look that bad. After hitting just .188 in April and .218 in May, he has steadily raised his average to .243. He also has 14 homers, 58 RBIs and 14 steals in 15 tries.
And Hosmer's numbers are not that different from those of Mike Moustakas (.250, 19 homers, 67 RBIs), who has not faced the same scrutiny.
The perception is different between the two, though, because of Hosmer's dreadfully poor start, and because of all the off-season hype that suggested Hosmer would ravage the league offensively.
"It can be a humbling game for every player out there," Moore said. "Hoz is no different. He has a lot of talent but so does everyone who makes it up to this level. And everyone has to make adjustments, no matter if you're 22 or 32.
"The great thing about Hoz is that even as things didn't go his way offensively, he found other ways to contribute. He never took his offense out on the field – Moose hasn't, either. Those guys are old-fashioned ballplayers. They're winners."
Moore wouldn't go as far as saying Hosmer is too good to ever fail again offensively, but he is convinced that 2013 will be different.
"Let's face it: Some of hitting is just luck," Moore said. "Alex Gordon will tell you that. Billy Butler will tell you that. And Hoz didn't get a whole lot of luck this year. He hit so many balls hard, right at guys – next year maybe those balls find holes. I don't think he has to make major adjustments. He will do what he needs to do."
The talent, Moore said, is there.
"Not too many guys in this league can take a low and outside breaking ball and drill it over the fence to the opposite field," Moore said. "Hoz just did that the other night. We know he's got a lot of ability. We've known that throughout.
"Two years ago, no one was writing anything about Salvador Perez. No one outside of baseball or our organization had heard of him. But I had two guys in our organization say he was either the next Sandy Alomar or the Latin Johnny Bench. Now everyone can see how good Salvy is.
"The point is, we've also known how good Eric Hosmer is for a few years. And we believe he will succeed at this level, too. He already is succeeding in our minds. There is no one in this organization who is down on him."
What stands out the most about Hosmer, Moore said, is his mental toughness at such a young age.
"Everyone has a different way of letting go of their frustrations," Moore said. "Some guys yell and scream. Some guys throw things. Some guys get quiet and disengage from others. But Eric is not like any of that. He remained committed to helping this team win. That's what ballplayers do.
"You get to know people when you see them virtually every day. You learn about their work habits and their nature. And Eric is our type of player."
