St. Louis Cardinals’ Prospect Watch: Edmundo Sosa

Edmundo Sosa is making a name for himself in 2016 with Class-A Peoria. He’s a shortstop with a lot of upside in the St. Louis Cardinals’ organization.

There are a lot of 20-year olds that spend their days sitting at a desk trying to please their boss. They sit and watch the clock until they can punch out and head home for the day. Then, there are 20-year olds like St. Louis Cardinals’ prospect, Edmundo Sosa.

The Cardinals have Sosa listed as their fifth-best prospect. He’s high on a list that includes pitcher Alex Reyes, who is currently serving a 50-game suspension for failing an offseason drug test. Magneuris Sierra, Sosa’s teammate in Peoria is number four on the list.

Sosa has been with the Cardinals’ organization since 2013 when he played 41 games in the Dominican Summer League. Sosa has come a long way since then, spending the 2015 season with the Johnson City Cardinals of the Appalachian League. He finished last year with a .300/.369/.485 slash line.

Like a fine scotch, Sosa’s bat will only get better with age. That first season in the Dominican Summer League, Sosa his .314/.396/.450. In is second year between the Gulf Coast League Cardinals and State College, his numbers dropped significantly to .274/.338/.373.

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Up until last season with Johnson City, Sosa had just five home runs in his professional career. Sosa dispelled rumors that he can’t hit for power by smashing seven home runs in 2015 alone. Will he ever be a 30 home run, 100 RBI guy? Probably not, but that doesn’t mean he can’t have a little pop in his bat. Sosa finished 2015 with eight doubles, four triples and 16 RBI in 49 games. He also posted a career high OPS of .854.

The 2016 season is still very young, but it’s Sosa’s first with the Class A Peoria Chiefs of the Midwest League. He got off to a slow start this season going o-for-8 with three strikeouts in his first two games against the Burlington Bees (Angels). Since that time, Sosa has raised his average to .282 and was riding a 14-game hitting streak before an 0-for-4 performance Wednesday night.

Offensively, Sosa has compiled 20 hits in his last 17 games. Those hits include a home run and three doubles. In the one game I’ve seen this year, Sosa went 1-for-3 with a walk and a strikeout. He did come across to score in a game against the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers (Brewers) where runs were a premium. The Chiefs won that game 3-0.

In 15 games at shortstop, Sosa has committed five errors which is a bit concerning. If you look at what the St. Louis Cardinals have done defensively this year, one may say Sosa would fit right in. Again, he’s only 20-years-old, and I’m confident that his glove will come around as he continues to develop his skills in the minor leagues.

As far as speed is concerned, Sosa is not a player that’s going to steal a lot of bases. Entering his fifth professional season, the highest number of steals he’s had in a season is eight. The good news for him, this isn’t the 1980’s and “Whitey Ball” doesn’t exist in today’s game. In translation, the Cardinals won’t be asking him to be a player that steals a lot of bases.

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Overall, Sosa’s numbers have been impressive as he continues to grow into his 5’11” frame. If he can continue to deliver with his bat, the defensive mishaps won’t be as noticeable.

With an organization that includes shortstops like Jhonny Peralta and Aledmys Diaz, Sosa certainly has a lot to prove before he gets a call to the big leagues. The good news is, he has plenty of time to prove he can play at that level.