CarL1 Wilmington Blue Rocks

Hosmer Shines In Futures Game

Published on July 12, 2010 under Carolina League (CarL1)
Wilmington Blue Rocks News Release


The Wilmington Blue Rocks' best player took his act to the national stage on Sunday evening. Eric Hosmer went 4-for-5 with a double and a pair of RBIs as he helped lead the U.S. team to a 9-1 win over the World squad in the All-Star Futures Game in Anaheim, CA.

Hosmer played for the U.S. team with former Blue Crew teammate and fellow first-round pick Mike Moustakas. The duo made up two-thirds of the heart of the United States order. Moustakas played third base and hit third, while Hosmer batted fifth and served as the team's designated hitter.

In Hosmer's first at-bat he signaled that Sunday had the chance to be his night. The 20-year-old Miami, FL native deposited a soft fly-ball into left field for an RBI single. The 6-4, 215 pounder followed that up with an infield single in the third.

Hosmer added another single with two outs in the fifth. His knock kept the frame alive, allowing him to score on Hank Conger's subsequent home run. After flying out to end the sixth, Hosmer saved his best at-bat for his final plate appearance. The second-year Blue Rock launched a line-drive into the right-center field gap that was good for a double. The two-bag base-hit set up Hosmer's second run of the night, as he came home on an Austin Romine double later in the frame.

Moustakas did not enjoy the same kind of success at the plate, going 0-for-3 before exiting the game after the fifth. But the third baseman, who spent 2009 on the Riverfront, found a way to make his presence felt. Moustakas backhanded a ball that had taken a wicked hop off the bat of Wilin Rosario and nearly turned it into a double play in the second inning.

Both men are having huge campaigns with their respective clubs. Moustakas is hitting .355 with 21 homers and 76 RBIs for Double-A Northwest Arkansas. If the season ended today he would claim the Texas League's Triple Crown. The average is more than 100 points higher than he managed in Wilmington a season ago, and he has already surpassed his home run total.

Hosmer has led the Carolina League in batting average for virtually the entire season. The No. 3 overall pick in 2008 is hitting .349. He is also tied for the Carolina League lead in doubles with 27, and leads the loop outright with an on-base percentage of .424.

Hosmer's team returns to action with a doubleheader tonight at Frawley Stadium. Game one is slated to start at 5:05 p.m. Wilmington will send southpaw Ivor Hodgson (5-6, 4.61) to the hill, while Myrtle Beach will counter with right-hander Randall Delgado (3-6, 2.82). In the nightcap Rocks right-hander Bryan Paukovits (1-1, 6.75) opposes Myrtle Beach righty J.J. Hoover (6-5, 3.83).

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Carolina League Stories from July 12, 2010


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