SAN DIEGO
In the days after Eric Hosmer signed with the Royals in 2008, the club sent him to play rookie ball for the Idaho Falls Chukars. It was already late August, and the season was nearing its end. But the Royals had invested $6 million in the high school first baseman from Miami. They were ready to start the process.
So on an afternoon in 2008, Hosmer linked up with the team on a road trip in Ogden, Utah. His locker that day just happened to be next to a young catcher from Venezuela. His name was Salvador Perez, and he spoke little English.