Cubs Can Benefit from Sammy Sosa's Energy, Cockiness

Expectations are high in Chicago this year. After acquiring Kyle Tucker via trade and adding around the edges to shore up their depth, the Cubs are in prime position to compete for a division title. To further boost the vibes, Cubs legend Sammy Sosa is back with the franchise and has been around the team at Spring Training. This version of the Cubs, one that is expected to compete and get back to the playoffs for the first time since the shortened COVID season, can benefit from Sosa's energy and cockiness.

When Pete Crow-Armstrong was called up last season, he immediately provided a spark in the clubhouse. Crow-Armstrong wasn't even in the everyday lineup right away, but his energy and his swagger pumped life into the team and the fanbase. Shota Imanaga did the same on the mound, taking the ball every fifth day and providing great cinema with his antics—along with plenty of dominating performances.

Sosa was always a showman when he donned the Cubs uniform, but more than that, his confidence was infectious. Sosa wasn't for everyone. His cockiness rubbed some the wrong way. He's exactly what this Cubs team needs.

Chicago is a big-market team, regardless of ownership spending like a small-market one. It needs the confidence and the mindset that it is the best team in the division, even with ownership protecting its own pockets. Sosa's presence in Arizona during Spring Training is helping with that.

“Guys light up when they talk to him, because he’s an icon when it comes to hitting,” Cubs hitting coach Dustin Kelly said. “It’s just fun for guys to be around it, and obviously, he has a presence and an aura about him that breeds confidence."

That sense of confidence is one that needs to be brought back on the North Side. Cubs utility player Vidal Bruján was seen talking to Sosa extensively on Tuesday before Chicago's spring tilt. Sosa was holding a bat and demonstrating something for Bruján to take note of. How did Bruján respond? He launched a home run that afternoon and did Sosa's famous hop.

"Honestly that’s going to help so many ballplayers,” Bruján said. “It’s a good option to have close... We have a lot of respect for him, which is important.”

So what, exactly, did Sosa tell Bruján?

“I said, ‘Stay back, use the back leg and keep your head there,’” Sosa noted. “And we say, ‘Bring the swagger.’ And then he hit that. He listened to me and he got it done.”

Bring the swagger, indeed. Bruján commented afterward that he did indeed do the hop that Sosa made so famous as a thank-you for the tips.

Look around at the best teams in baseball. Los Angeles plays with an abundant amount of confidence. So do both New York teams. San Diego has plenty of players on its roster who play with moxie and cockiness. 

It's not necessarily essential to carry yourself that way, as a team. But for the last few years, the Cubs have felt like a dud—a big-market team with no edge or faith that it can truly compete with the best. The results have borne that out.

Sosa isn't some savior for the Cubs. He can't step into the box for the guys on the roster. They won't be dramatically better because he's at spring training. However, his energy (and just showing a belief in the players when talking to them) can have a huge ripple effect, and plant a seed in the mind that sprouts into a greater confidence on the diamond.

Kelly, Chicago's hitting coach, mentioned just that.

“That’s what some of our guys have already taken away—just how confident he was at the plate with his mentality and what he was thinking up there.”

Confidence is contagious, and while it may be far-fetched to expect the Cubs to compete for a World Series this year, the playoffs should be the goal. Drawing the line in the sand and turning things around isn't going to be a one-year ordeal. It will take time. What Sosa is providing is the jumper cable to start the car.

Don't be fooled either. Sosa isn't viewing this as work.

“I feel like I’m playing again,” Sosa said. “But it’s good. All the players are happy for me to be here. I have to contribute here. I believe that the opportunity is here. I’m enjoying it. I’m enjoying it right now.”

Sosa has arrived back with the organization at a perfect time.