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The Philadelphia Phillies Struck Gold With Edmundo Sosa

One of the Philadelphia Phillies newest additions, Edmundo Sosa, showcased just how valuable he can be on Monday night.

Author:
Alex Carr
Aug 16, 2022 1:00 PM EDT

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Philadelphia Phillies

Over the last five years, the Philadelphia Phillies have seen a litany of utility infielders come and go. Remember Sean Rodriguez? Neil Walker? How about Phil Gosselin and Ronald Torreyes? Some Phillies fans look upon these names fondly, others maybe not so much, but in their essence they represent a decade-plus of mediocre, playoff-less Phillies baseball.

A common thread existed between these aforementioned players. They were primarily heralded for their "experience," or "veteran leadership," brought in by the Phillies to help mentor a young squad.

These players were a staple while the Phillies tenured former manager Joe Girardi. It was an issue that came to the forefront when Girardi elected Neil Walker to the Phillies' 2020 roster over utilityman Josh Harrison, who had clearly out-dueled Walker during Spring Training.

Harrison went on to have a resurgent two years with the Washington Nationals. The same conversations arose as Girardi continued to deploy Ronald Torreyes, and others like him, over some of the clubs' more promising young talent, one of the many factors that led to his eventual termination.

Thankfully, things shifted during the 2022 offseason, even while Girardi was still employed, as the Phillies prioritized their pursuit of younger players with upside, and curated a cache of infield depth. Johan Camargo and Yairo Munoz both represented smart, solid depth pickups for the club, and each helped contribute in some way this season. But, both were also dashed to the wayside in favor of a 26-year-old shortstop from Panama, who has set a new bar for Phillies reserves.

He's appeared in nine games thus far with the Phillies and yet, Edmundo Sosa has already showcased just how valuable he will be to Philadelphia. Armed with a premium glove and a bat with budding potential, Sosa has demonstrated precisely why the Phillies were prepared to deal a fan favorite reliever in JoJo Romero to acquire him.

During Monday's game against the Cincinnati Reds, the former St. Louis Cardinals product served as a human highlight reel, almost single-handedly earning the Phillies the win, driving in three of their four runs, and making several impressive plays in the field.

In a sporadic 62 appearances this season, Sosa has already tallied four outs above average at shortstop and one at third base. He's also manufactured seven defensive runs saved on the year, all of this while playing just 314.2 innings in the field this season.

His glove is about as good as it gets, but the positives don't stop there.

Many evaluators were convinced that Sosa was on the verge of an offensive breakout last season after he managed to slash .271/.346/.389 across 113 games. The peripheral numbers were where the real fun began: Sosa managed to rank in the 98th percentile in sprint speed, and 93rd percentile in max exit velocity in all of baseball in 2021, while accumulating a whopping 11 DRS across multiple positions. A skillset like that is a recipe for a future five-tool success.

Spoiler alert: one of the players mentioned above was indeed Edmundo Sosa.

Obviously, Sosa isn't likely to evolve into some superstar like Byron Buxton. His strikeout rate has skyrocketed, and his 104 wRC+ from last season has melted into a 59 wRC+ in 2022, albeit with sporadic playing time. But at the very least, the Phillies managed to acquire one of the best gloves in baseball, who just so happens to be among the fastest runners in the game, and he currently projects as a bench option for them. That's a substantial upgrade.

The gap between, say, Neil Walker and Edmundo Sosa directly represents the gap between the 2022 Phillies and the Phillies of old. When given the choice between a position-less bat on the verge of retirement, and a young Gold Glove caliber defender who can swipe bags and be a non-zero at the plate, it's a pretty easy decision.

Sure, a few fringe additions does not a roster make, but Sosa is the exact player a once-fundamentally-lacking team like the Phillies had been missing for years. Instead of pursuing veterans that were labeled as "dependable", the Phillies have prioritized younger players with tangible tools and upside, it has worked wonders for them.

All of a sudden, the Phillies' bench for 2023 is all but set in stone. Garrett Stubbs, who has emerged as a fan favorite, will anchor down the backup catcher position. Nick Maton and Matt Vierling feel well positioned for spots too, as does Darick Hall, who has mashed right-handed pitching this season.

Rounding things out: Edmundo Sosa, the man with the golden glove, who has proven he can make a difference on both sides of the ball.