Today: SF Prospect Henry Sosa
A Dominican free agent signed for the bargain price of $15,000 back 2004, righthander Henry Sosa's value has quietly risen through the ranks. He's become yet another flame throwing Giants prospect in a system that seems to be very good at finding and polishing raw gems.
After a few years working in rookie league ball, Sosa finally got his chance in the Sally League last year. Usually a hitters' haven, the league just couldn't catch up to Sosa's 96mph fastball. He went 6-0 with a 0.63 ERA, striking out 61 while walking only 25. After looking like a late-or-never bloomer, Sosa suddenly jumped the ranks to become one of the Giants' top ten prospects.
| Yr | Tm | Age | Lvl | W | L | ERA | G | GS | CG | SH | GF | SV | IP | H | R | ER | HR | BB | SO | K/9 | WHIP |
| 2006 | AZ Giants | 20 | R | 2 | 1 | 3.90 | 9 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 32.1 | 20 | 15 | 14 | 3 | 12 | 41 | 11.41 | 0.99 |
| 2007 | Augusta | 21 | A | 6 | 0 | 0.73 | 13 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 62.0 | 30 | 8 | 5 | 2 | 25 | 61 | 8.85 | 0.89 |
| 2007 | San Jose | 21 | A+ | 5 | 5 | 4.38 | 14 | 14 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 63.2 | 66 | 36 | 31 | 8 | 36 | 78 | 11.03 | 1.60 |
A late season promotion to high-A San Jose didn't go as well (5-5, 4.38) but he continued to strike out batters at a rate of more than one per inning. The combination of speed and movement on his fastball, again, was key to this success, and it was in late 2007 that the Giants began to consider whether Sosa's overpowering stuff might be a good fit for late inning relief work rather than the grind of a carefully-paced starting career
Sosa is a gem, as we said, but he is also very raw. He's still a thrower, not a pitcher, but his fastball is good enough to get out even the best hitters. When batters begin to time it, of course, he runs into trouble. His secondary pitch is a hammer curve that could blossom into a real strikeout pitch, too, but he struggles to control it consistently from start to start. His changeup, which might be the missing piece he needs to get to the next level, is very rough, and will need a great deal of careful attention before it's ready for big game use.
Update: As of today, Sosa is still in high-A San Jose and still being developed as a starter, but as the parent club's bullpen looks weak, rumblings continue about moving him to relief. His fastball looks as good as ever (55 K's versus only 16 walks) but hitters who sit on that fastball are still making him pay. He's 3-4 with a 4.56 ERA over eleven starts.
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