In a step that might also lead him toward the yearly version of the award, Kansas City Royals first baseman Eric Hosmer won the American League Rookie of the Month Award for his incredibly sweet swing through the month of July. Hosmer was hot before and after the All-Star Break, and Dayton Moore and Ned Yost have to be pleased with his progression at the ML level to be able to make adjustments and continue to improve at the plate.
"It's nice to see him get national attention on something like that," Ned Yost said. "I think he gets our attention every night with the way that he plays and I'm satisfied with that. For him to get American League Rookie of the Month is a pretty special award."
In 27 games last month, Hosmer had a line of .306/.358/.523. Overall, he went 34 for 111 with 9 doubles and 5 home runs. He also saw the ball better than ever with only 16 strikeouts for July -- his lowest monthly total combined with the most at bats in a month. He also scored 12 runs.
For the year, Hosmer has a .786 OPS, hitting a respectable 10 home runs and 47 RBI in 315 at bats -- roughly half a season. He's hitting .283 on the year.