Eric Hosmer Set for Kansas City Royals Debut

Eric Hosmer is ready to make his Major League debut with the Kansas City Royals. The Royals finally called up Hosmer from Triple-A Omaha late Thursday, and it looks like he will be in the lineup for the first time against the Oakland Athletics this season. He wasn't supposed to make it to the Major Leagues this quickly, but has been dominating Minor League pitching so thoroughly that the Royals felt it was time.

By the Royals calling up Hosmer and optioning first baseman Kila Ka'aihue to Triple-A, Dick Kaegel of MLB.com feels that the rookie is about to take over as a full time player. So far this season, Hosmer had been hitting .439 (43-for-98) with five doubles, three home runs, and 15 RBI in his first 26 games. That is pretty remarkable, and it earned him a much earlier call-up than anyone had anticipated.

Hosmer was the third overall selection in the 2008 MLB Draft, coming to Kansas City out of American Heritage School in Florida. He was probably the best power-hitter available in the draft, and was selected before players like Buster Posey, Gordon Beckham, and Justin Smoak. Now he is ready to prove that he was a steal at No. 3, and the Royals were right to bring him along a bit slower than those other guys.

The big left-handed hitter will be inserted into the starting lineup right away for the Royals, but it is going to be interesting to see where manager Ned Yost places him in the lineup. Kansas City could use some added power from the middle of the batting order, so it wouldn't be surprising to see him in the No. 4 or No. 6 slot Friday.

So far in the 2011 season, the Royals have posted a nice 17-14 record that has them in second place in the American League Central. It is much better than how they have played in past seasons, and it seems that the youth is finally starting to develop. Unfortunately for the Royals, the Cleveland Indians have turned into the hottest team in baseball, and they now lead the Central with a 21-9 record.

Having his debut against the great pitching staff of the Athletics is a tough way to break into the Major Leagues, but Hosmer seems like he is up to the task. There will be a lot of attention on his debut, but at least he will escape East Coast coverage with the late start time of his first game. If he starts hitting home runs right away, though, he is going to be getting national coverage everywhere he goes.

Hosmer's debut will be at 7:10 p.m. local time in Kansas City Friday.

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