Sammy Sosa

Organization Prospect Rankings

• 
  Ranked Chicago White Sox #2 prospect in 1990
  The White Sox also obtained Sosa in the Harold Baines trade, giving them a second prospect better than any they had. Sosa had a long audition with the White Sox in center field, which probably will be his spot in 1990.
• 
  Ranked Texas Rangers #2 prospect in 1989
  The light seemed to click on for Sosa during the Florida instructional league in the fall. Suddenly those breaking pitches--the ones in the dirt that he had chased en route to 280 strikeouts against 78 walks in 1,255 pro at-bats--weren’t so appetizing. Then came a big winter in his native Dominican Republic. Sosa is an exciting player. He’s got decent power, but most of all has excellent speed and an aggressiveness that needs to be refined--not restrained. He only hit .229 at high Class A Charlotte in 1988, but still had 66 stolen bases attempts with (42 successful). The biggest impressions Sosa makes is his willingness to work and desire to learn. He’s become a good outfielder who could play center field, but he has such a strong, accurate arm that it would be a shame not to play him in right.
• 
  Ranked Texas Rangers #2 prospect in 1988
  It’s a coin flip in deciding who belongs No. 1 and who winds up No. 2. Sosa, signed as a free agent out of the Dominican Republic in 1986, won’t have the big power numbers of Juan Gonzalez, but he will drive the ball and will be a step ahead in speed. Sosa stole 22 bases last year but hasn’t yet scratched the surface. Once he disciplines his aggressiveness on the bases, his success ratio will improve dramatically. A plus for his offense will come when Sosa learns to bunt, which will open holes in the infield. In the last year, Sosa has improved his defense dramatically. He was charged with six errors in the Florida instructional league, where he was voted the Rangers' MVP. Only one came on a dropped fly ball, when he raced into right center field and attempted to backhand a ball in his first game. The other five came on throws, but he also had 11 assists in 32 games.
• 
  Ranked Texas Rangers #2 prospect in 1987
  Philadelphia thought it had signed Sosa at the age of 15. They attempted to hide him until he came of age to legally sign a pro contract, but the Phillies fired the scout in the meantime. The Rangers moved in quickly to sign this latest phenom from the Dominican town of San Pedro de Macoris. Sosa’s brief pro career has had its rough spots. After 30 games in the Rookie-level Gulf Coast League last summer, he was hitting just .207. By the end of the season, he had raised his average to .275 and led the league with 19 doubles. Offensively, Sosa has the tools to be a total force, combining average with power and basestealing ability. Defensively, Sosa has a ways to go. He tends to run on his heels and drops fly balls.

Minor League Top Prospects

• 
  Ranked Texas League #9 prospect in 1989
  “I can do it all,” Sosa told the Tulsa media before the season. The 20-year-old Dominican backed up that claim, hitting both for average and power, stealing bases and showing an exceptionally strong arm before his mid-June callup to Texas, which later traded him to the White Sox in the Harold Baines deal. Sosa’s shortcoming include the infrequency with which he draws walks, and his over-aggresiveness on the basepaths, but he should still improve in those areas with experience.
• 
  Ranked Florida Complex League #4 prospect in 1986
  A 17-year-old from San Pedro de Macoris, Dominican Republic, Sosa nearly became a member of the Phillies organization. A Phillies scout, since fired, recognized his talent early and signed him at age 15 with the intent of hiding him until he became legal to sign at age 17. But the scout was fired first, and the Rangers jumped into the void. Sosa hit just .207 over his first 30 games in the Gulf Coast League, but then hit .321 the rest of the way to raise his overall average to .275. He also led the league with 19 doubles. “He has a short swing and the ball just jumps off his bat,” Royals manager Luis Silverio said.

• December, 1989 Scouting Report
  The White Sox also obtained Sosa in the Harold Baines trade, giving them a second prospect better than any they had. Sosa had a long audition with the White Sox in center field, which probably will be his spot in 1990.
• December, 1988 Scouting Report
  The light seemed to click on for Sosa during the Florida instructional league in the fall. Suddenly those breaking pitches--the ones in the dirt that he had chased en route to 280 strikeouts against 78 walks in 1,255 pro at-bats--weren’t so appetizing. Then came a big winter in his native Dominican Republic. Sosa is an exciting player. He’s got decent power, but most of all has excellent speed and an aggressiveness that needs to be refined--not restrained. He only hit .229 at high Class A Charlotte in 1988, but still had 66 stolen bases attempts with (42 successful). The biggest impressions Sosa makes is his willingness to work and desire to learn. He’s become a good outfielder who could play center field, but he has such a strong, accurate arm that it would be a shame not to play him in right.
• December, 1988 Scouting Report
  “I can do it all,” Sosa told the Tulsa media before the season. The 20-year-old Dominican backed up that claim, hitting both for average and power, stealing bases and showing an exceptionally strong arm before his mid-June callup to Texas, which later traded him to the White Sox in the Harold Baines deal. Sosa’s shortcoming include the infrequency with which he draws walks, and his over-aggresiveness on the basepaths, but he should still improve in those areas with experience.
• December, 1987 Scouting Report
  It’s a coin flip in deciding who belongs No. 1 and who winds up No. 2. Sosa, signed as a free agent out of the Dominican Republic in 1986, won’t have the big power numbers of Juan Gonzalez, but he will drive the ball and will be a step ahead in speed. Sosa stole 22 bases last year but hasn’t yet scratched the surface. Once he disciplines his aggressiveness on the bases, his success ratio will improve dramatically. A plus for his offense will come when Sosa learns to bunt, which will open holes in the infield. In the last year, Sosa has improved his defense dramatically. He was charged with six errors in the Florida instructional league, where he was voted the Rangers' MVP. Only one came on a dropped fly ball, when he raced into right center field and attempted to backhand a ball in his first game. The other five came on throws, but he also had 11 assists in 32 games.
• December, 1986 Scouting Report
  Philadelphia thought it had signed Sosa at the age of 15. They attempted to hide him until he came of age to legally sign a pro contract, but the Phillies fired the scout in the meantime. The Rangers moved in quickly to sign this latest phenom from the Dominican town of San Pedro de Macoris. Sosa’s brief pro career has had its rough spots. After 30 games in the Rookie-level Gulf Coast League last summer, he was hitting just .207. By the end of the season, he had raised his average to .275 and led the league with 19 doubles. Offensively, Sosa has the tools to be a total force, combining average with power and basestealing ability. Defensively, Sosa has a ways to go. He tends to run on his heels and drops fly balls.
• December, 1985 Scouting Report
  A 17-year-old from San Pedro de Macoris, Dominican Republic, Sosa nearly became a member of the Phillies organization. A Phillies scout, since fired, recognized his talent early and signed him at age 15 with the intent of hiding him until he became legal to sign at age 17. But the scout was fired first, and the Rangers jumped into the void. Sosa hit just .207 over his first 30 games in the Gulf Coast League, but then hit .321 the rest of the way to raise his overall average to .275. He also led the league with 19 doubles. “He has a short swing and the ball just jumps off his bat,” Royals manager Luis Silverio said.