The season is young – just two series completed – and there are already topics to discuss, with the most prominent being the rise of Edmundo Sosa.
The Phillies are 7-2 and sitting pretty atop the NL East by half a game.
You can’t really complain, right? Wrong.
One bench player is off to a hot start while several starters have begun the season slow. When that happens, fans want to see more, and understandably so.
Edmundo Sosa
Edmundo Sosa has been a crucial bench piece ever since he was acquired in a trade that sent JoJo Romero to the Cardinals. As a Phillie, Sosa is batting .268/.313/.448/.761 with 19 home runs and 80 RBI in 226 total games.
He has started the season better than any position player not named Kyle Schwarber. In just 24 plate appearances, he is hitting .478/.500/.652/1.152 with six RBI. His 91.2 MPH average exit velocity is in the 69th percentile, which is more than serviceable.
Sosa has been tearing the cover off the ball, but his chase, strikeout, and walk percentages are all in the lower-third percentile.
Where can he play?
Edmundo Sosa is a very versatile player. As a member of the Phillies, he has played third base, shortstop, second base, and even centerfield. The options are plentiful, and if he continues the tear he’s been on, you can’t justify leaving him out of the lineup.
For the first game against Atlanta, manager Rob Thomson decided to put him in left field – the first time he’s ever played the position. While he did rob a home run in his first “test” of the game, I don’t expect to see him playing there often.
Manager’s thoughts
Lead Phillies Writer at PSN, Kyle Fisher, was in attendance for the game Sunday, and manager Rob Thomson was asked his thoughts on Sosa’s hot start and what he may do moving forward.
Thomson said “I think, you know, we got to really look at this because, so far it’s real, you know. It’s two hits every game. He’s played great at 3rd, he’s played great at short. He did well in center field yesterday, so, you know, we’ve really got to get in the lab and try to figure out some stuff to get him in the lineup.”
The Phillies cleant want to see what Sosa can bring to the table and are going to find a way to get him in the lineup more with the hopes of the hot bat continuing.
Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images
