If you call a bonus baby greedy, you should also call him smart

Sure seems like Eric Hosmer is taking some heat from fans, and on some level, that's predictable.

He gave Royals fans a scare by insisting he'd have been happy going to Arizona State if the Royals' offer wasn't sufficient, and then another scare by taking negotiations down to the very last minute.

The quick and natural reaction from fans is disgust that a high school kid would hold out so long and so hard for millions of dollars to have the chance to fulfill a dream.

The $6 million check Hosmer will cash is among the highest bonuses ever given to a baseball draft pick. It's enough money to set his family up for generations, depending on how he handles it, and he's only 18 with zero professional at bats.

That makes for an easy target, the greedy punk kid trying to drain a team for every cent he can before he proves he's worth it.

But you know what? He did the right thing.

Doing anything else would've been stupid and irresponsible.

As can't-miss as we hear Hosmer is, take a look at other guys who went third overall in the draft. It's not a sure thing.

Oh, there's Evan Longoria and Troy Glaus and some other solid big leaguers.

But there's also Luis Montanez, Dewon Brazelton, and B.J. Wallace. Kyle Sleeth went in that spot five years ago, and he's already retired without ever making it to the big leagues.

Brazelton was in camp with the Royals last year, and drove a Hummer every day to the ballpark. You think he's not glad he got every dollar he could?

Baseball scouts and officials often call these huge bonuses "failure money," the idea being this is how much cash you have if you fail as a pro ballplayer.

That's fine, and their frustration is understandable considering the pain (both in effort and wallet) it's become to sign these premier picks. But it's those same executives who created this mess, and if they're honest, they'll admit that.

Nobody is forcing them to pay millions to high school kids. They're doing it because they think it's worth it, and if it's worth it to them, why shouldn't the kids on the other end make sure they get all the money they can?

Every indication is that Eric Hosmer will turn into a premier hitter in the big leagues, enormous power with a high average, and Gold Glove potential at first base, too.

Maybe he breezes through the minor leagues, breaks Steve Balboni's home run record, makes a couple All-Star teams and then signs a nine-figure free agent contract. That's the dream.

But there's also a very real possibility that the check he's about to cash will be the biggest payday he ever sees.

Maybe he gets hurt, or maybe he doesn't adjust to wood bats, or pro pitching, or maybe he gets stuck for any of the reasons that thousands of good prospects before him have failed in the minor leagues.

If anything like that happens, don't you think he'll be grateful he cashed in when he could?