So Maybe Sammy Isn't A Messiah After All

Sammy Sosa may have hit his first home run in a year and a half last Saturday night, but so far the hot bat he had in spring training looks like it was left in Arizona.

On a night when the Texas Rangers offense finally came to life with 15 hits in an 8-4 victory over the Devil Rays, Sosa went 0-for-5 and left five men on base. So far on this young season his average is sitting at .167 with six strikeouts in 24 at bats.

I don't doubt that Sosa is going to get the eleven more home runs he needs to reach 600 in his career, but I'm not sure what else he's going to be able to offer the Rangers.

From what I've seen of Slammin' Sammy so far, he looks a lot like the Sosa we saw in his last seasons with the Cubs, and his year spent in Baltimore. Every once in a while he's going to connect for the long ball, but other than that he's going to have a lot more swings and misses and double plays.

Whether it's the fact that he's 39-years old now, or that he's no longer juiced up, his bat speed has dwindled considerably. Sosa can't get around on an inside fastball right now to save his life. If a pitcher makes a mistake, he'll hit it, but he can't get the job done on his own anymore.

Regardless, he'll probably finish out the season with Texas, reach his 600 home runs, and be let go after the season. He'll then retire and hope that all those home runs will be enough to help him avoid the Mark McGwire treatment and get him into the Hall of Fame. It's the only reason he's playing this season anyway.

If he does get into the Hall of Fame, it's a good thing he's suddenly remembered how to speak English, or else it would be an odd speech at his induction ceremony.


Previously at the Fanhouse:
Sammy Sosa Is A Lot Like Jesus
Sammy Sosa Is Cheating, But It's Not How You Think
Sammy Sosa Makes Rangers Roster
Sammy Sosa Wants To Hit 700 Home Runs