The Phillies acquired Edmundo Sosa for his defense, but ‘I have a bat, too’
Sosa, who has homered in two straight games, is "trusting the process" with Kevin Long, whose positivity has made a difference.
Edmundo Sosa knows he was brought to Philadelphia for his glove. The infielder has 13 defensive runs saved over his last two seasons. When he was traded from the Cardinals to the Phillies in late July, he was hitting .189/.244/.270. There was a legitimate reason to be concerned about his bat.
But since he has arrived in Philadelphia, Sosa has seen a remarkable turnaround offensively. He’s hitting .357/.391/.667 over 42 at-bats with the Phillies, and has hit home runs in the last two games.
Sosa, 26, has been working every day with hitting coach Kevin Long, who said the infielder has fully bought into their routine.
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“He’s just more staying on top of the baseball and not swinging up,” Long said. “I think his focus [in St. Louis] was more get the ball in the air, and my focus is more to swing down and get into your legs and it seems to be working. Different routine, too. We started with the tee, flips, we don’t want anything hitting the top of the cage, we want everything on a line. He’s just in a really good spot. The ball jumps off his bat, it really does.”
Sosa sees the shift in his production from St. Louis to Philadelphia as a byproduct of a few things: a change in approach, but also more opportunity.
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“In 2021, I had a good season with the Cardinals [.271/.346/.389], I worked well with them,” Sosa said in Spanish. “I took good at-bats. In 2022, I took less at-bats, I was playing less. I was trying too hard, but things weren’t working for me. Here, I’m playing a little bit more, I’ve been working with Kevin, and I’m going to keep working with him.
“He’s positive. Always positive. We have fun. St. Louis was fun too. We all worked hard, but that’s in the past. I feel that we’re on the same page here. And we’re working together well. The hitting coach in St. Louis [Jeff Albert] helped me a lot in my career, but I feel like what I’m working on with Kevin is working super well. So I have to keep following his workouts, his drills and what he stresses the most: to believe in the routine that he’s got for me.”
Sosa has also leaned on some of the Phillies’ Spanish-speaking players, like second baseman Jean Segura. He said Segura frequently gives him hitting advice, and they run through Sosa’s at-bats after games.
”He helps me understand when it’s better moment for me to take a big swing, depending on the count that I’m in,” Sosa said. “I also learn by watching him play. And by having him to go over my at-bats and explain what counts I’m better off swinging hard or taking a pitch.”
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As long as Sosa continues to hit like he’s been hitting over the last few months, he’ll start to change the narrative around his game.
“Obviously I’m known in the league for my defense, but I can hit to all parts of the field,” Sosa said. “To me, it’s all a matter of having more at-bats and getting my timing down. Little by little, things are going to happen for me, and again, I know I’m known for my defense, but I have a bat, too. I know I can hit. So it’s just a matter of trusting the process.”