Top prospects to champs: Eric Hosmer, Mike Moustakas reflect on their lasting bond
For much of the summer of 2008, it appeared that the Royals weren’t going to reach agreement with their first-round draft pick before the signing deadline.
But with just minutes to spare, Eric Hosmer came to terms with the Royals. Hosmer later was sent to the Instructional League and the Royals informed him that he’d have a roommate.
Mike Moustakas.
Those two would end up becoming cornerstones of the Royals’ 2015 World Series championship team, which was honored Saturday night at Kauffman Stadium.
Hosmer showed up at an apartment complex on the outskirts of Phoenix after signing, ready to begin his professional career. Hosmer left quite an impression on his new roommate.
“We had talked previously to that, a couple different times on the phone, but yeah, as far as meeting him, I was like, ‘This kid’s unbelievable,’” Moustakas recalled. “Obviously you hear a lot about, you know, the first-round draft pick, and you hear about everything he can do. And then to go out there and see him in instructs and see what he was capable of, I was like, ‘OK, this guy, he’s a dude. Now we’ve just got to figure out how to get to the big leagues together and figure out how to win a World Series.’
“Because I think when we first got drafted, that was our entire mindset from day one. And you know, he had all the tools and ability in the world to do whatever he wanted to do. So I was pretty excited that was our pick. And he ended up becoming my little brother who’s a lot bigger than me.”
Moustakas took that older sibling role to heart, Hosmer noted.
That came in the form of rides to the ballpark, free meals and making Hosmer feel welcome in the clubhouse. In short, Moose took Hoz under his wing.
“As a first-round pick, getting a high signing bonus, that’s a tough transition,” Hosmer said. “You’re going into a locker room full of professionals that obviously are going to have some things to say, and that was just an easy transition for me. So Moose, what he did for me, I wanted to do that for younger guys.”
World Series aspirations
Moustakas and Hosmer were drafted a year apart, but they shared time in the minor leagues at Class A Wilmington, Double-A Northwest Arkansas and Triple-A Omaha.
Both reached the major leagues in 2012, although little brother Hosmer got there first. But while climbing the ladder, their goal remained the same: Make the major leagues and win a World Series.
“Our mentality was just so similar. I mean, we both came from very good high school coaches, very good high school teams where winning was the expectation,” said Hosmer, who now co-hosts a podcast with Moustakas. “Like, we didn’t want to be the best player on the worst team. We wanted to be mixed up with the best players just because we wanted to win. So that’s what it felt like when I first talked to Moose, and I’m like, ‘This is everything I’m about.’ So that’s why, I think, just instantly we hit it off.”
The Royals won the American League pennant in 2014 and 2015, and were crowned World Series champions in 2015 after falling achingly short a year earlier. Those teams may not have had an MVP or Cy Young winner (as Jonny Gomes memorably noted) but there were stars all around, including Lorenzo Cain, Salvador Perez, Alex Gordon, a lights-out bullpen and, of course, Hosmer and Moustakas.
Hoz and Moose were involved in two giant, albeit routine plays, in Royals history. Both ALCS victories in 2014 and 2015 ended with a ground ball to Moustakas, who threw across the diamond to Hosmer for the final out that sent the Royals to the World Series.
The 2015 World Series ended with a Wade Davis strikeout, but the “brothers” celebrated together.
“Me and Hoz looked at each other across the field, and we didn’t plan anything, but we just always, after every clinching win, we always ran straight to each other and jumped (on each other),” Moustakas said. “And it’s one of the greatest (memories). I’m getting chills now thinking about it, but I think all of those moments, you’re not going to forget them.”
This story was originally published May 17, 2025 at 6:08 PM.
