2023 # 17 Prospect Thomas Sosa - RF/CF

[RZNJ]

5 minutes ago, Frobby said:

My son has a photographic memory when it comes to anything he ever ate in a restaurant.  

Haha.  For me it was left over Popeye chicken strips that my friends kid hardly touched the day before.  

[interloper]

I think this will be one of the more interesting years of prospect rankings to go back and visit at the end of the year with all the international guys.

[Tony-OH]

2 hours ago, Frobby said:

Where do you get information like “his 25.3% line drive rate was the second best in the entire complex league for 18-year olds or younger and his 16.7 HR/FB rate was 7th best”?   I assume you don’t have access to that data and a knowledgeable person is feeding that to you.  In any event, this write-up is superb and provides a lot of details on Sosa you’d never get from BB-ref or Fangraphs.   

Actually that data is available in Fangraphs. The EV info comes from sources. 

Sosa was a guy who was highlighted when he signed and then even after his sub par season last year. Obviously his jump in stats and size really puts him high on the radar.

Obviously still a lot of risk until we see him against upper level pitching, but next year in Delmarva will either cement his prospect status or provide more questions. He may have a higher ceiling than Braylin Tavera though Tavera's plate discipline gives him the leg up right now.

[Frobby]

12 minutes ago, Tony-OH said:

Actually that data is available in Fangraphs. The EV info comes from sources.

Thanks.  I didn’t know that Fangraphs had that level of detail in the low minors.  

[Aristotelian]

1 hour ago, Frobby said:

My son has a photographic memory when it comes to anything he ever ate in a restaurant.  

I know the exact location of any item in our fridge but have trouble finding my car keys most days.

[Frobby]

Just now, Aristotelian said:

I know the exact location of any item in our fridge but have trouble finding my car keys most days.

So keep them in the fridge - problem solved!

[now]

That's quite a large platoon split. Also the 15 gap between game and raw power. @Tony-OHCan you remind us what the difference in those two ratings means (game vs. raw)? Thx

[Frobby]

2 minutes ago, now said:

That's quite a large platoon split. Also the 15 gap between game and raw power. @Tony-OHCan you remind us what the difference in those two ratings means (game vs. raw)? Thx

The platoon split is not worth worrying about with that few at bats.  I’m not saying he doesn’t have platoon issues, but it’s just too few at bats to know.  

[RZNJ]

39 minutes ago, Frobby said:

Thanks.  I didn’t know that Fangraphs had that level of detail in the low minors.  

I did post this article from Baseball America last month when they picked about 5 breakout candidates for 2024.

To identify similar players, we need to set a baseline of performance across a variety of metrics. In order to perform this exercise properly, we need to blend contact, power and approach. 

Our baseline benchmarks are as follows:

Contact rate above 75%

90th Percentile Exit Velocity above 102 mph

An average exit velocity above 86 mph

A chase rate below 30%

 

Thomas Sosa, OF, Orioles: Sosa was signed by the Orioles out of the Dominican Republic in January of 2022 for $400,000. After debuting in the Dominican Summer League in 2022, with a well below–average showing, Sosa took a sizable step forward in 2023. He hit .290/.385/.492 in the Florida Complex League and ranked 20th overall in our FCL rankings. Sosa shows the most high-end power of the group (104.3 mph 90% – 110 mph max EV), while displaying strong contact skills and an ability to do damage in-zone. 

[btdart20]

43 minutes ago, RZNJ said:

I did post this article from Baseball America last month when they picked about 5 breakout candidates for 2024.

 

To identify similar players, we need to set a baseline of performance across a variety of metrics. In order to perform this exercise properly, we need to blend contact, power and approach. 

Our baseline benchmarks are as follows:

Contact rate above 75%

90th Percentile Exit Velocity above 102 mph

An average exit velocity above 86 mph

A chase rate below 30%

 

Thomas Sosa, OF, Orioles: Sosa was signed by the Orioles out of the Dominican Republic in January of 2022 for $400,000. After debuting in the Dominican Summer League in 2022, with a well below–average showing, Sosa took a sizable step forward in 2023. He hit .290/.385/.492 in the Florida Complex League and ranked 20th overall in our FCL rankings. Sosa shows the most high-end power of the group (104.3 mph 90% – 110 mph max EV), while displaying strong contact skills and an ability to do damage in-zone. 

We're 17 deep with Sosa and we're looking at a guy who "shows the most high-end power of the (BA filtered) group (104.3 mph 90% – 110 mph max EV), while displaying strong contact skills and an ability to do damage in-zone."

Stacking bodies!!

[Tony-OH]

4 hours ago, now said:

That's quite a large platoon split. Also the 15 gap between game and raw power. @Tony-OHCan you remind us what the difference in those two ratings means (game vs. raw)? Thx

Raw power is the ability to hit the ball a long way. Game power is the ability to take that into the game. A great example of gap between the two is Billy Rowell.

Rowell probably had 70 raw power and could hit some prestigious BP home runs. He ended up hitting just 40 home runs in 2187 minor league PAs in his career.

Most young players have that gap so nothing to be worried about now.

[now]

24 minutes ago, Tony-OH said:

Raw power is the ability to hit the ball a long way. Game power is the ability to take that into the game. A great example of gap between the two is Billy Rowell.

Rowell probably had 70 raw power and could hit some prestigious BP home runs. He ended up hitting just 40 home runs in 2187 minor league PAs in his career.

Most young players have that gap so nothing to be worried about now.

Thanks for the clarification. I had thought raw meant BP but wasn't sure. I haven't noticed such a wide spread in other prospect ratings, but this one jumped out. 

[Moose Milligan]

Exciting to see the international efforts starting to pay off.  

[Yossarian]

15 hours ago, Frobby said:

My son has a photographic memory when it comes to anything he ever ate in a restaurant.  

I have a photographic memory of what my last meal at Taco Bell did to my gut and I haven't been back for over 30 years.