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Originally Posted by DeepSouth
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It's about versatility. If he has the athleticism/ability to play LF, it gives you more flexibility than if he is pigeon-holed into 1B at this age.
But yes, hopefully he continues to be and show plus hit tools. Power will come as he fills out. They've got 4 more years of Hosmer, barring an extension. Duenez could be in position to take over at this rate:
2014: Low-A (lexington)
2015: High-A (Wilmington)
2016: AA (Northwest Arkansas)
2017: AAA (Omaha)
2018: MLB (at age 21)
Hosmer can be a free agent before the 2018 season. Best-case scenario: Duenez skips 2 levels in one year at some point and is able to debut in 2017, giving them a good enough look to know whether he's the replacement 1B in 2018.