Sosa Has Arrived in Rangers Camp

[CaliforniaRaisin]

More Sammy from today:

 

http://us.news2.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/p/ap/20070224/capt.azow10602241930.rangers_spring_baseball_azow106.jpg

 

http://us.news2.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/p/ap/20070224/capt.azow10502241930.rangers_spring_baseball_azow105.jpg

 

Yesterday:

 

http://us.news2.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/p/ap/20070223/capt.azth11002232244.rangers_sosa_baseball_azth110.jpg

 

http://us.news2.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/p/ap/20070223/capt.azth10602232040.rangers_sosa_arrives_baseball_azth106.jpg

Aww, Sammy and Kenny getting along

 

http://us.news2.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/p/ap/20070223/capt.azth10502232039.rangers_sosa_arrives_baseball_azth105.jpg

 

http://us.news2.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/p/ap/20070223/capt.azth10302232038.rangers_sosa_arrives_baseball_azth103.jpg

 

http://us.news2.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/p/ap/20070223/capt.azth10402232038.rangers_sosa_arrives_baseball_azth104.jpg

With Rangers coach Don Wakamatsu

[Bruno7481]

It's awesome to see Sammy out there and in great shape. He's going to have a great year.

 

Define "great"

[Soul]

"I don't have to convince nobody," Sosa said Friday. "I know who I am.

 

Actually, I think he does have to convince the Rangers.

 

I can't totally tell from the article, but I believe Sammy was referring to whether he has to convince anyone he never used steroids.

[SouthSideRyan]

Didn't Lofton hate Sosa in Chicago?

[ConstableRabbit]

http://us.news2.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/p/ap/20070223/capt.azth10502232039.rangers_sosa_arrives_baseball_azth105.jpg

 

You gotta love this pic. With Sammy's trademark child-like smile and that shoulder strap it looks like he's ready to start the second grade!

[CaliforniaRaisin]

Didn't Lofton hate Sosa in Chicago?

 

That certainly was the word on the street.

[A New Era]

Has sammy "filled out" compared to 2005? He certainly should have an ok year, just based on how he looks. In 2005, everyone was saying how scrawny he looked.

[E.J.]

I doubt Sammy is going to have a good year. He was terrible for the Orioles, and he took a year off from baseball. It's going to be extremely hard for him to come back and produce after spending a year off from pro ball. Plus, he's not exactly that young anymore.

[vance_the_cubs_fan]

In Sammy's favor, he has one of the best hitting coaches in Jaramillo working with him. If Sammy still has the bat speed (which I've heard from reports, he does) and he listens to Jaramillo and makes the adjustments that Jaramillo suggests, I think he might can have a small resurgence. Ameriquest is a great hitting park. Furthermore, even in Baltimore he had a respectable clip against lefties. If they use Sammy correctly, by sitting him against the tougher right-handers, I could see him his 25-30 homeruns with a 265/330/490 line. That wouldn't be too horrible for a complementary player. Sammy doesn't have to be the big bat in the Rangers line-up. They have Young and Tex to do that. He'll also have Blalock and hopefully a rejuvenated Wilkerson, so Sammy just has to prove he can provide a little spark.

[Sarcastic]

In Sammy's favor, he has one of the best hitting coaches in Jaramillo working with him. If Sammy still has the bat speed (which I've heard from reports, he does) and he listens to Jaramillo and makes the adjustments that Jaramillo suggests, I think he might can have a small resurgence. Ameriquest is a great hitting park. Furthermore, even in Baltimore he had a respectable clip against lefties. If they use Sammy correctly, by sitting him against the tougher right-handers, I could see him his 25-30 homeruns with a 265/330/490 line. That wouldn't be too horrible for a complementary player. Sammy doesn't have to be the big bat in the Rangers line-up. They have Young and Tex to do that. He'll also have Blalock and hopefully a rejuvenated Wilkerson, so Sammy just has to prove he can provide a little spark.

 

He'll be 38 this season. He is coming off a year in which he played no baseball. The year before that, he continued his rapid decline, had a few injury problems, and failed to post a .700 OPS. Resurgence? He might make the team on his name alone, but I doubt he's ready to serve in any more than a bench role. That would be a resurgence for Sammy.

[hardcorecubfan]

he just doesn't get it does he? Wouldn't most people that are only signed to a minor league contract show up with pitchers and catchers? Just to get the feel of a new team and surrounding, also to prove he was committed to playing hardas a team player?

 

To be fair, this is probably the earliest he arrived at camp in a decade or more.

I don't doubt his desire to get those 12 homers and then some. I think the whole key to his return is whether or not he's lost any bat speed, and whether or not he can ever lay off the pitch down and away.

I don't know if someone can be gone for a year after a very down season and regain former abilities. It'll be interesting.

 

I wonder if bat speed is really speed or quickness/ for world class sprinters you don't lose much quickness over a decade according to Track and field news. If Sammy continued to work out will he have lost any or will it just be adjusting to ml pitchers?

[Chris]

Gonna continue some Sammy love. How about a couple of pictures from his rehab assignment with the Jaxx. Great times:

 

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v472/DJAXXFAN/Sosa%20Jaxx%20Jersey/sharesgum.jpg

[Chris]

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v472/DJAXXFAN/Sosa%20Jaxx%20Jersey/signs1.jpg

[Chris]

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v472/DJAXXFAN/Sosa%20Jaxx%20Jersey/sosa_3.jpg

[CuseCubFan69]

I wish Sammy well but if he hits a home run off me I'd whistle one by his head the next time up and see how he reacts to that.

[Chris]

I wish Sammy well but if he hits a home run off me I'd whistle one by his head the next time up and see how he reacts to that.

 

:(

[CubColtPacer]

I wish Sammy well but if he hits a home run off me I'd whistle one by his head the next time up and see how he reacts to that.

 

Well, with the way MLB rules are, I guess you'd be seeing his reaction in the clubhouse when you got there :D.

[Cubs1908]

Let me first just say, I saw Sosa from about 3 feet away sitting front row in St. Lou vs Cubs in 2002, and he was just a beast of a man....massive even. Being a lifelong Cubs fan, all the guy did with the Cubs, I can say I'd like to see him have a good season. Not good like .325, 66, and 120 good, but you know...just OK good. At least a healthy season.

[CuseCubFan69]

I wish Sammy well but if he hits a home run off me I'd whistle one by his head the next time up and see how he reacts to that.

 

:(

 

Hey, if he's scared of the ball and you have to pitch inside to be effective. I wouldn't actually put one in his ear but I'd challenge him inside pretty darn close to his body to get him away from digging in and getting comfortable. If I'm a pitcher and it's my career or his, I'm going to battle and use any advantage I can.

[CuseCubFan69]

Let me first just say, I saw Sosa from about 3 feet away sitting front row in St. Lou vs Cubs in 2002, and he was just a beast of a man....massive even. Being a lifelong Cubs fan, all the guy did with the Cubs, I can say I'd like to see him have a good season. Not good like .325, 66, and 120 good, but you know...just OK good. At least a healthy season.

 

Were you that close because Sammy was that far away from the plate? :D

 

I hope he does well too and more importantly enjoys playing ball again.

[baseball7897]

http://img132.imageshack.us/img132/7628/sosaom5.jpg

[vance_the_cubs_fan]

Sammy Sosa: 0-for-3 with two strikeouts and a walk in the ``B'' game. Luke Hochevar, the No. 1 overall pick in last year's draft, had the first K with a slider. ``I gotta tip my cap on that,'' Sosa said. ``It was nasty. But I felt great.'' Sosa will play in Saturday's ``A'' game.

 

 

Link.

[Mizzou]

Well that's certainly not the best start. Hopefully he gets it going here quickly.

[moorecg]

Well that's certainly not the best start. Hopefully he gets it going here quickly.

 

Its so hard to judge right now...just on ST stats alone he's ahead of Soriano....I think the real question with Sammy is whether he's staying on the plate and if his bat speed is there.

[Bote McBoteface]

For everything that Sammy did for the Cubs while he was here, I hope he makes the team and has a great season with the Rangers.

 

Realistically, if he makes the team at all, I have to assume he'll have a rough time hitting ML pitching at this stage in his career after a year off.

 

 

But who knows, maybe a year to reflect and a change of scenery will do him well. Time will tell.