Kansas City Royals first baseman Eric Hosmer has been voted the July recipient of the Gillette presents American League Rookie of the Month Award.
Hosmer led A.L. rookies with 34 hits and 12 doubles in 27 games during the month of July. The 21-year-old also added five home runs, 19 RBI, 12 runs scored and three stolen bases with a .523 slugging percentage and a .358 on-base percentage. Hosmer, who was the third overall selection in the 2008 First-Year Player Draft, recorded a career-best 11-game hitting streak from July 19th-30th, batting .426 (20-for-47) during the streak with a home run, five doubles, eight RBI and seven runs scored.
The left-handed-hitting slugger posted 10 multi-hit contests during the month, including a four-hit contest on July 3rd at Colorado in which Hosmer tied a career-best with four RBI. Hosmer has now collected 27 multi-hit games on the season to lead all A.L. rookies. On July 15th at Target Field in Minnesota, Eric connected on a game-winning, two-out, two-run home run in the top of the ninth to give the Royals a 2-1 victory over the Twins. In a four-game set against the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park from July 25th-28th, Hosmer batted .421 (8-for-19) with two doubles, a home run and five RBI.
Of Hosmer’s 10 home runs since being called up to the Majors on May 6th, four have given the Royals a lead while two have tied the game. The Florida native leads the Royals with 16 go-ahead RBI and nine game-winning RBI this season. Among A.L. rookies, Hosmer ranks first in on-base percentage (.333) and walks (23); second in hits (89), doubles (19) and total bases (142); third in batting average (.284), home runs (10), RBI (47), slugging percentage (.454) and extra-base hits (31); and fourth in runs (33).
Other rookies receiving votes included Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim first baseman Mark Trumbo (.247, 6 HR, 20 RBI, 5 2B, 12 R, .528 SLG) and reliever Jordan Walden (1-1, 2.35 ERA, 6 SV, 7.2 IP, 7 H, 1 BB, 7 SO); Tampa Bay Rays right-handed pitcher Jeremy Hellickson (3-0, 3.08 ERA, 26.1 IP, 20 H, 7 BB, 13 SO); Seattle Mariners second baseman Dustin Ackley (.308, 3 HR, 14 RBI, 8 2B, 1 3B, 10 R, .516 SLG); Hosmer’s Kansas City teammate Louis Coleman (1-0, 0.61 ERA, 10 G, 14.2 IP, 9 H, 5 BB, 15 SO); Chicago White Sox reliever Chris Sale (0-1, 1.29 ERA, 9 G, 14.0 IP, 7 H, 3 BB, 16 SO); and New York Yankees infielder Eduardo Nuñez (.333, 1 HR, 12 RBI, 6 2B, 1 3B, 11 R, 5 SB, .480 SLG).
Hosmer will receive a specially designed trophy, suitably engraved, to commemorate his Rookie of the Month performance.
— MLB Press Release —