Edmundo Sosa started this year as a bench bat and infield back-up. After his first 16 games, Fans wondered if he was Kolten Wong 2.0, a good glove but weak bat. Then Paul DeJong went down. After a few days, Sosa was placed in the SS spot, and it has been a rocket ride since. When he entered the starting lineup, he hit .143/.368/ 143, with no extra-base hits or RBIs.
Since 5/18 vs. Pittsburgh through 5/27 (9 games), he has seen his stats rise to .341/.473/.455, 3 Doubles 1 Triple, 3 RBIs. He recently came off an 8 game hitting streak, where he put up a slash line of .500/.581/.692 with 7 runs scored and 3 RBIs. His defense has been outstanding, logging 140 innings at SS - 71 chances, 22 PO, 46 Assists, 3 Errors, and 4 DP (as of 5/30). He has shown great range and a strong arm. A question many have asked is, where did we get this kid?
It started in 2012
Edmundo "Mundito" Sosa was born in Panama and began playing baseball at the age of 4. He grew up a Yankees fan and found his inspiration to play baseball in Panamanian star Ruben Tejada. As his friends call him, Mundito has known he would be a big-league ballplayer since he was 14. He worked very hard at perfecting his craft, leading him to play in many tournaments, including the National Youth Baseball in Panama, as part of team Panama Metro in 2012.
It was there that the St Louis Cardinals scout Archimedes Nieto entered the picture, and on July 2, 2012, he signed the 16-year-old to a $425,00 contract. Nieto, who Sosa had impressed with this technical skill, described Sosa as a great player with instinct, speed, and reach. They sent him to the Dominican Summer league in 2013 for evaluation to agree that if he did poorly, the Cardinals would cancel the contract.
He did not disappoint, slashing .314/.396/.450 3 HR, 27 RBIs, 7 SB in 47 games. In 2014 he was sent the Cardinals rookie affiliate in the Gulf Coast League. He held his own .275/.341/.377 with 1 HR, 23 RBIs, and 37 RS. 8 note Current Cardinals starter Jack Flaherty was on that roster as well. In 2015 he was sent to the Johnson City rookie affiliate along with another future Cardinal Paul DeJong. At Johnson City, he hit .300/.36/.485 with 7 HRs, 16 RBIs, 30 RS in 49 games. That earned him a shot at low A-ball Peoria the following year. In 88 games, his numbers dipped slightly to .268/.307/.336 1 HR, 23 RBIs, and 30 RS. He did earn a 9-day stint at high A Palm Beach .294/.314/.412.
That 9-day stint in 2016 was enough for Sosa to start 2017 at Palm Beach, wherein 51 games he went .285/.329/.347 14 RBIs 25 RS. After a brief cup of coffee at AA Springfield in 2017, 2018 found starting the season at AA. He hit a respectable .276/.308/.429, 7 HRs, 32 RBIs, and 34 RS in 67 games.
Moving up
His steady progression has boded him well. Having the time at each level to put his game together. When he arrived at AAA Memphis, he was accustomed to the routine of coming to a new situation. In 56 games at Memphis, he posted .262/.321/.408, 5 HRs, 27 RBIs, and 31 RS. He had a 3 game cup of coffee in St Louis in 2018. Then it was back to Memphis for 2019, where he played 118 games, going .291/.335/466, 17 HRs, 62 RBIs, and 70 RS that earned him another end-of-season call-up. With no minor league games last year, Sosa was on the alternate site roster. He was placed on the 40 man roster and invited to Spring training in 2021.
Keeping busy with Baseball
Sosa has kept himself busy and working on his game in the off-season as well.
In 2019 and 2020, he played in the Dominican Winter League. In 2019 he hit .274/.332/.366 3 HRs, 14 RBIs, and 27 RS in 43 games. The 2020-21 season was effectively canceled due to Covid-19.
He also played in the Arizona fall league in 2017 .305/.359/.356 with 7 RBIs and 10 RS in 17 games.
While his hitting has never really wowed or overwhelmed anyone, he has shown he can be consistent, right around the .280 mark. His OBP does suffer from his low walk rate. Sosa enjoys swinging the bat, oftentimes making contact with pitches out of the zone. His Walk rate is almost always in the 3-8% range. However, he does not have a high strikeout rate ( between 10 and 20%). He has shown the ability to hit all fields with more power to Right Field. The 17 Home Runs at Memphis should be considered an outlier, as that was a year of reportedly juiced balls in the minors. His throws have been a little shaky at times. His defense overall has been top flight. He has excellent range and makes even diving plays look easy.
What is his future?
With Paul DeJong out until late June, Sosa will have plenty of time to grow into the position and make his case the new SS. It sounds a little off, but Sosa, if anything, could learn a little more plate discipline. Not to decrease in strikeout rate. But to improve his walk rate! Edmundo Sosa could be a spark plug off the bench, infield depth fill-in eve potential DH. His ability to play is not limited to a starting role. DeJong is a Free Agent in 2024. That would put Sosa at age 27, and depending on organizational depth, he could be the next starting SS for St Louis. Time will tell.
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