Sure, aging curves say that position players peak in their age-26 season. But, it’s been a long slog for Kansas City Royals star Eric Hosmer after he burst on the scene with a strong .293/.334/.465 debut season in 2011 at age-21. He finished third in the American League Rookie-of-the-Year vote. Along with his no. 3 over draft pedigree, Hosmer seemed destined to tear up AL pitchers for years to come.
Instead, Hosmer bounce back-and-forth between good and bad years while only incrementally improving on his rookie output at the high points. With young phenoms like Mike Trout, Bryce Harper, and Manny Machado putting up prodigious starts to their careers, Hosmer became something of an afterthought when people talked about the game’s best young hitters.