Eric Hosmer owns Padres fan on Twitter over Xander Bogaerts criticism

Padres' infielder Xander Bogaerts is off to a slow start in 2024 and most fans have taken notice. Even after putting up strong numbers in 2023, fans have been quick to judge. And maybe rightly so given that Bogaerts was signed to an 11-year contract worth $280 million about 18 months ago.

But even after putting up 4.7 fWAR last year, good for sixth among all shortstops in MLB, fans are on him about a rough 40-game stretch. One fan on Twitter referred to Bogaerts as "the new Eric Hosmer" but apparently worse due to the length of Bogaerts' contract. It seems like a bit of a stretch given the small sample size of Bogaerts' poor play.

But guess who came across that tweet and shut it down rather quickly? Hosmer himself, who has been involved in everything media-related ever since he changed careers post-retirement.

Hosmer told the fan that he wouldn't take offense to the sentiment given that the Padres were in the midst of a series against the hated Dodgers.

And Hosmer is likely right about the emotion coming into play, considering that the Padres took two of three from the Dodgers over the weekend. Bogaerts even picked up the slack on Sunday, going 2-for-4 with a home run in a 4-0 victory.

Former Padres slugger Eric Hosmer claps back at Xander Bogaerts criticism

Hosmer and Bogaerts both played together in Boston during the second half of the 2022 season, so there's certainly some camaraderie there. It's not surprising to see Hosmer stick up for a guy who he's been teammates with with on the field.

The former first baseman is a bit of a scapegoat for the Padres teams of the past six years. He never hit for as much power as you would've liked but he was a decent player in San Diego. His poor defense makes his contributions look a bit worse than they probably were.

In all honesty, Padres fans just need something to be upset about at the moment. It felt like things might be heading into crisis mode after the passing of former owner Peter Seidler, and there are still questions about the payroll and the direction of the franchise over the next five years.

But despite all that, the Padres are still holding strong and remain firmly in the wild card conversation. Bogaerts' defensive skills have translated well to second base, and he's been too good a hitter over his career to think that he's just done after a bad 40-game stretch at 31 years old.

The Padres have won eight of their last 12 games as they battled the Rockies. If anything, it'll be a chance for the team to inch closer to the Dodgers in the NL West race and it's a good opportunity for Bogaerts to get back on track while facing a poor pitching staff, even after Monday's unfavorable result (Bogey homered in the losing effort, too).