After Eric Hosmer left for San Diego in 2018, the Royals have yet to find a reliable first baseman. The Royals have gone through multiple first basemen since Hosmer’s departure. Many Royals fans were hoping Hosmer and the Royals could come to terms on a long-term deal, but they obviously didn’t. Now, looking at what Hosmer has done with the Padres thus far, I am glad they let him walk. Since signing that eight-year deal with the Padres, Hosmer has yet to hit like he did with the Royals. Obviously, there are downsides for letting a guy like Hosmer walk, one of them being he was a fan favorite. The other one is the “what if “ question. Like, what if he did this or that with the Royals instead of with the Padres. The way Hosmer is playing with the Padres so far, it doesn’t look like he will be setting any big records anytime soon. Now three years later after the Royals let Hosmer walk, they have yet to find a reliable first baseman. Starting in 2018, the Royals brought in former Mets first baseman Lucas Duda on a one-year deal worth $3.5 million. That deal wasn’t too bad if you ask me. In 2018, Duda posted a .242 batting average, with 13 home runs. However, his defense wasn’t that great. After the 2018 season, the Royals brought back Duda. Thank goodness it was a minor league deal. During his second stint with the Royals, Duda struggled mightily. Duda posted a horrible .171 batting average, and I don’t believe he was great defensively either. After the Duda experiment failed, the Royals called up first baseman Ryan O’Hearn from Omaha to play first in 2019. In 2019, O’Hearn posted a horrible .195 batting average, but he did hit 14 home runs. Other than that, he didn’t do too much in 2019. Currently, O’Hearn’s 2020 season has been about the same, atrocious. After O’Hearn’s struggles, the Royals gave Ryan McBroom a shot at first base. In 2019, McBroom only appeared in 23 games for the Royals. In 2020, the Royals have relied on multiple players to play first base in Ryan McBroom, Ryan O’Hearn, and Hunter Dozier. Now after all of these failed experiments at first base, the Royals believe Hunter Dozier could be the answer. In an article by Jeffrey Flanagan, he believes that Hunter Dozier is the Royals future first baseman. Royals manager Mike Matheny told Jeffrey Flanagan, “I’d say potential Gold Glove there.” Now that the Royals believe that Dozier could be the future first basemen, I think it’s safe to say that he will get a contract extension. Like I mentioned in my previous article about Dozier, I think he could receive a 4-year deal worth about $75-80 million dollars. However, I am not completely convinced that he is the long-term first basemen, meaning 3 or 4 years down the road. I still believe if Nick Pratto can develop as a hitter, he can be the long-term answer at first base. This would obviously move Dozier to the outfield after Gordon calls it a career, or if the Royals don’t believe in their young outfielders.
