San Diego Padres: Eric Homser is Looking Like a Fine Investment So Far

The San Diego Padres invested a ton of money into their brand new first-baseman, Eric Hosmer. After the slightest of dips in his production started to draw the ire of fans, he’s begun to turn it around in a big way.

Eric Hosmer went 0-for-4 in his first game as a member of the San Diego Padres. Three consecutive two-hit games followed and, although the team hadn’t won a game yet, the fan base was feeling good about their new star.

But then, in a decisive plot twist, Hosmer collected just one hit and one walk over his next three games versus the Rockies last week.

The Friars’ faithful started to get jittery again, though the Padres did secure their first win during that stretch.

Since April 5, Eric Hosmer has been on an absolute tear. He’s only gone hitless in one game, the loss on Sunday in Houston. From that afternoon in Petco Park until last night, Hosmer has gone 11-for-28 with three doubles.

Since that oh-fer in Houston, he has three consecutive two-hit games (again), collecting his first home run as a Padre in yesterday’s loss to Colorado.

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Hosmer means more to Padres than just stats

After all of that, Eric Hosmer’s numbers sit at respectable levels virtually across the board (except for the power, which surely will come).

His .333/.414/.529 slash line, along with seven walks and an MLB-leading seven doubles (tied with Xander Bogaerts and A.J. Pollock) is exactly what AJ Preller and the San Diego Padres paid for.

Though his strikeouts are a bit high (15 in 51 at-bats) and his power has yet to fully arrive (he absolutely crushed that ball yesterday though), this team knows what they have in Hosmer.

What I saw yesterday from Hosmer

During yesterday’s fracas, he could be seen getting right into the middle of the *danger zone* (Archer fans?) and slightly taming Nolan Arenado, which appears to be no easy task.

Putting himself out there, open to a barrage of wayward fists, elbows, and legs, showed this writer that it hasn’t taken very long for Eric Hosmer to become a part of this team; a leader, if you will.

While it would be frowned upon by all parties involved, especially the fans, he could have tip-toed his way around the spat, but he didn’t. He got right in there. That speaks volumes, to me at least.

Next: Three Things for Series vs. Giants

Again, this is exactly what the San Diego Padres are paying him to be; a leader by example on the field and off, and also on the field while throwing down with a divisional rival.