It's now been 10-and-a-half years since former Kansas City Royals first baseman Eric Hosmer helped them win the 2015 World Series, but he's not done with the organization. The four-time Gold Glove Award-winner is joining Royals.TV as an analyst, per KCTV 5's Gabe Schwartz.

“Our 2014 and 2015 run wasn’t just a championship, but a city finding out what it was capable of,” Hosmer said on Friday. “My teammates and I were lucky to be on that field, but the energy came from the stands with fans buying in. That bond with this city doesn’t expire."

“I was 18 years old when this organization believed in me, and now I get to repay that belief from a different seat," he continued. "The guys on this roster are building their own story, and we all know what happens when this city believes. I want to be here when that energy comes back around.”

Catcher Salvador Perez is the only holdover on the Royals' roster from that championship year, but the team is headlined by new cornerstone pieces like shortstop Bobby Witt Jr., third baseman Maikel Garcia, and first baseman Vinnie Pasquantino. The squad is coming off a non-playoff season, but it has a bright future.

Hosmer exemplifies how player development can lead to a title. Kansas City drafted the Florida native third overall in 2008, and the team's farm system was rated as the sport's best by Baseball America in 2011. It had a record nine players on the outlet's Top 100 Prospects list, with third baseman Mike Moustakas and outfielder Will Myers joining Hosmer to form a star minor-league trio.

The Royals traded Myers to the Tampa Bay Rays in 2012, but Hosmer and Moustakas were each core pieces on their 2015 championship team. Hosmer slashed .297/.363/.459 with 18 homers and 83 RBIs over 158 regular-season games, and Moustakas slashed .284/.348/.470 with 22 homers and 82 RBIs over 147 contests. Hosmer led the team in OBP and hits (178).

This time, Kansas City kept its star prospect trio together long-term. The organization drafted Witt second overall in 2019, signed him to an 11-year, $288.7 million extension in February 2024, and drafted Pasquantino in the 11th round in 2019. The latter player has not signed an extension, but is under team control through 2028.

Finally, the Royals signed Garcia as a 16-year-old international free agent in 2016 and handed him a five-year, $57.5 million extension this past December. Now they need other players to step up, as they tied for 19th in baseball with a .706 team OPS last season. Conversely, they were 10th at .734 in 2015.

If other young pieces like Jac Caglinanone and Isaac Collins step up alongside the aforementioned trio, that could push Kansas City to the next level. 

Up next for the Royals is a spring training matchup with the Los Angeles Dodgers at 8:05 p.m. ET on Friday.