Podcast: Eric Hosmer on MLB The Show 16, video games and big rings

The StewPod: Baseball, pop culture & more

Opening Day isn't the only day that some baseball fans call in sick. If they're dedicated to virtual baseball, fans consider Tuesday a holiday too. It's the day "MLB The Show 16" drops. "The Show" is the premiere baseball video-game title on the market, a game that prides itself on realism so much that a number of MLB stars are part of the game's development. Among them: Eric Hosmer of the Kansas City Royals. We linked up with Hosmer for interview recently in Arizona, where he playing "The Show" on an off-day from Royals camp. In a fun interview, Hosmer talked about his invovlement in the game, his own experience with baseball video games and some of his preseason impressions about his team. One non-video game thing he admitted to us — he hasn't yet looked at the mock-ups of the Royals World Series rings. He wants to see it for the time when he slips it on his finger next week. Here's a full rundown of the interview: • Hosmer's involvement in "MLB The Show 16" • Whether he campaigns for better attributes • Who's the best Royals player in the game? • Why he plays games with fans • His favorite baseball video games from the past • Early impressions of this year's Royals team • Whether they pay attention to the projections/predictions that have the Royals under .500 this year