Quote:
Originally Posted by BigMeatballDave
With all the incessant bitching about Hosmer, why does Gordon get away with it. He's just as suspect this season as Hosmer.
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... No.
Alex Gordon is an above-average offensive player and has been the most valuable defensive player in MLB this season. According to Fangraphs, only two players have been more valuable all-around players than Alex Gordon (Mike Trout and Troy Tulowitzki). According to Baseball Reference, he's still top 15.
Eric Hosmer is a below-average offensive player, especially for the position he plays. He's been hitting a little bit of late, but the Royals need(ed) him to be a .500 SLG player and run producer in the middle of the lineup.
Royals look like toast to me, though. The combination of inadequacy running the show (Ned Yost, Dayton Moore) and key offensive players (Eric Hosmer, Billy Butler) failing is just too much to overcome.
I was hopeful before the season that they had improved the team. The pitching and defense have been what I expected. I expected the offense to be at least a little bit improved from last year, but the failings of Hosmer, Butler, Moustakas and Aoki have torpedoed that chance.