Biographical

Portrait of Sammy Sosa

Sammy Sosa RFCubs

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Career Summary
Years PA AVG OBP SLG DRC+ WARP
20 9896 .273 .344 .534 122 58.0
Birth Date11-12-1968
Height6' 0"
Weight225 lbs
Age55 years, 5 months, 8 days
BatsR
ThrowsR
WARP Summary

MLB Statistics

YEAR TEAM AGE G PA H 2B 3B HR BB SO HBP SB CS AVG OBP SLG DRC+ DRAA BRR FRAA BWARP
1989 CHA 20 33 115 27 5 0 3 11 27 2 7 3 .273 .351 .414 80 -2.3 0.5 -3.8 -0.3
1989 TEX 20 25 88 20 3 0 1 0 20 0 0 2 .238 .238 .310 79 -1.8 0.1 0.0 0.0
1990 CHA 21 153 579 124 26 10 15 33 150 6 32 16 .233 .282 .404 83 -11.0 0.1 14.4 1.4
1991 CHA 22 116 338 64 10 1 10 14 98 2 13 6 .203 .240 .335 56 -16.4 1.4 13.3 0.5
1992 CHN 23 67 291 68 7 2 8 19 63 4 15 7 .260 .317 .393 89 -2.7 3.3 -2.0 0.7
1993 CHN 24 159 641 156 25 5 33 38 135 4 36 11 .261 .309 .485 102 4.0 2.9 3.5 2.6
1994 CHN 25 105 458 128 17 6 25 25 92 2 22 13 .300 .339 .545 121 14.0 -2.2 11.5 3.2
1995 CHN 26 144 629 151 17 3 36 58 134 5 34 7 .268 .340 .500 112 11.3 -0.5 23.3 4.5
1996 CHN 27 124 541 136 21 2 40 34 134 5 18 5 .273 .323 .564 123 18.9 0.3 15.3 4.3
1997 CHN 28 162 694 161 31 4 36 45 174 2 22 12 .251 .300 .480 90 -6.3 3.2 17.8 2.5
1998 CHN 29 159 722 198 20 0 66 73 171 1 18 9 .308 .377 .647 166 62.1 -3.1 7.5 7.6
1999 CHN 30 162 712 180 24 2 63 78 171 3 7 8 .288 .367 .635 143 44.4 -3.5 10.0 6.0
2000 CHN 31 156 705 193 38 1 50 91 168 2 7 4 .320 .406 .634 150 53.0 -5.1 -1.9 5.6
2001 CHN 32 160 711 189 34 5 64 116 153 6 0 2 .328 .437 .737 185 81.1 1.1 4.3 9.8
2002 CHN 33 150 666 160 19 2 49 103 144 3 2 0 .288 .399 .594 154 47.8 1.7 1.0 6.3
2003 CHN 34 137 589 144 22 0 40 62 143 5 0 1 .279 .358 .553 131 25.1 -1.4 -13.8 1.9
2004 CHN 35 126 539 121 21 0 35 56 133 2 0 0 .253 .332 .517 111 8.2 -4.1 3.9 1.8
2005 BAL 36 102 424 84 15 1 14 39 84 2 1 1 .221 .295 .376 86 -7.0 -2.8 -6.0 -0.9
2007 TEX 38 114 454 104 24 1 21 34 112 3 0 0 .252 .311 .468 103 3.8 -3.0 -0.6 0.6
Career23549896240837945609929230659234107.273.344.534122326.0-11.398.058.0

Statistics for All Levels

'opp' stats - Quality of opponents faced - have been moved and are available only as OPP_QUAL in the Statistics reports now.
Minor league stats are currently shown —Click to hide.
YEAR Team Lg LG G PA oppAVG oppOBP oppSLG BABIP BPF BRAA repLVL POS_ADJ DRC+ DRC+ SD FRAA BRR DRAA BWARP
1987 GAS A SAL 129 548 .000 .000 .000 .348 0.0 0 0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0
1988 PCH A+ FSL 131 549 .000 .000 .000 .273 0.0 0 0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0
1989 CHA MLB AL 33 115 .257 .323 .374 .338 99 2.7 3.0 -0.1 80 14 -3.8 0.5 -2.3 -0.3
1989 TEX MLB AL 25 88 .262 .321 .386 .302 102 -5.9 2.3 -0.4 79 14 0.0 0.1 -1.8 0.0
1989 TUL AA TXS 66 295 .000 .000 .000 .343 0.0 0 0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0
1989 OKL AAA AA 10 41 .000 .000 .000 .129 0.0 0 0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0
1989 VAN AAA PCL 13 56 .000 .000 .000 .405 0.0 0 0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0
1990 CHA MLB AL 153 579 .261 .327 .395 .292 98 -5.7 15.5 -5.7 83 9 14.4 0.1 -11.0 1.4
1991 CHA MLB AL 116 338 .261 .329 .400 .258 101 -16.7 9.1 -2.9 56 10 13.3 1.4 -16.4 0.5
1991 VAN AAA PCL 32 137 .000 .000 .000 .346 0.0 0 0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0
1992 CHN MLB NL 67 291 .254 .314 .371 .311 101 -1.1 7.5 0.7 89 12 -2.0 3.3 -2.7 0.7
1992 IOW AAA AA 5 21 .000 .000 .000 .333 0.0 0 0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0
1993 CHN MLB NL 159 641 .262 .321 .395 .285 102 2.1 18.4 -3.4 102 10 3.5 2.9 4.0 2.6
1994 CHN MLB NL 105 458 .270 .330 .423 .329 97 19.6 13.9 -4.5 121 11 11.5 -2.2 14.0 3.2
1995 CHN MLB NL 144 629 .263 .326 .407 .290 103 14.6 18.8 -7 112 9 23.3 -0.5 11.3 4.5
1996 CHN MLB NL 124 541 .262 .327 .404 .293 102 15.7 16.7 -6.2 123 11 15.3 0.3 18.9 4.3
1997 CHN MLB NL 162 694 .263 .329 .411 .286 102 -3.2 18.5 -7.6 90 7 17.8 3.2 -6.3 2.5
1998 CHN MLB NL 159 722 .263 .329 .415 .321 100 56.7 18.7 -7.6 166 8 7.5 -3.1 62.1 7.6
1999 CHN MLB NL 162 712 .267 .338 .427 .295 100 43.1 19.3 -6.8 143 10 10.0 -3.5 44.4 6.0
2000 CHN MLB NL 156 705 .267 .336 .433 .363 109 49.7 22.2 -8.1 150 6 -1.9 -5.1 53.0 5.6
2001 CHN MLB NL 160 711 .265 .333 .433 .336 99 91.9 21.2 -7.8 185 9 4.3 1.1 81.1 9.8
2002 CHN MLB NL 150 666 .261 .332 .418 .302 101 54 19.2 -7.1 154 7 1.0 1.7 47.8 6.3
2003 CHN MLB NL 137 589 .263 .329 .421 .307 103 25.9 15.5 -6.4 131 7 -13.8 -1.4 25.1 1.9
2004 CHN MLB NL 126 539 .264 .329 .431 .275 96 16.3 16.0 -6 111 7 3.9 -4.1 8.2 1.8
2004 WTN AA SOU 2 7 .000 .000 .000 .500 0.0 0 0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0
2005 BAL MLB AL 102 424 .268 .328 .422 .246 102 -9.4 12.2 -5.6 86 8 -6.0 -2.8 -7.0 -0.9
2007 TEX MLB AL 114 454 .269 .333 .422 .292 101 2.5 13.5 -7.9 103 13 -0.6 -3.0 3.8 0.6

Statistics For All Levels

Minor league stats are currently shown —Click to hide.
Year Team lvl LG PA AB R H 2B 3B HR TB RBI BB SO SB CS AVG OBP SLG ISO SF SH
1987 GAS A SAL 548 519 73 145 27 4 11 213 59 21 123 22 8 .279 .314 .410 .131 0 0
1988 PCH A+ FSL 549 507 70 116 13 12 9 180 51 35 106 42 24 .229 .284 .355 .126 0 0
1989 TEX MLB AL 88 84 8 20 3 0 1 26 3 0 20 0 2 .238 .238 .310 .071 0 4
1989 OKL AAA AA 41 39 2 4 2 0 0 6 3 2 8 4 2 .103 .146 .154 .051 0 0
1989 CHA MLB AL 115 99 19 27 5 0 3 41 10 11 27 7 3 .273 .351 .414 .141 2 1
1989 VAN AAA PCL 56 49 7 18 3 0 1 24 5 7 6 3 1 .367 .446 .490 .122 0 0
1989 TUL AA TXS 295 273 45 81 15 4 7 125 31 15 52 16 11 .297 .338 .458 .161 2 2
1990 CHA MLB AL 579 532 72 124 26 10 15 215 70 33 150 32 16 .233 .282 .404 .171 6 2
1991 CHA MLB AL 338 316 39 64 10 1 10 106 33 14 98 13 6 .203 .240 .335 .133 1 5
1991 VAN AAA PCL 137 116 19 31 7 2 3 51 19 17 32 9 3 .267 .366 .440 .172 0 0
1992 CHN MLB NL 291 262 41 68 7 2 8 103 25 19 63 15 7 .260 .317 .393 .134 2 4
1992 IOW AAA AA 21 19 3 6 2 0 0 8 1 1 2 5 0 .316 .333 .421 .105 1 1
1993 CHN MLB NL 641 598 92 156 25 5 33 290 93 38 135 36 11 .261 .309 .485 .224 1 0
1994 CHN MLB NL 458 426 59 128 17 6 25 232 70 25 92 22 13 .300 .339 .545 .244 4 1
1995 CHN MLB NL 629 564 89 151 17 3 36 282 119 58 134 34 7 .268 .340 .500 .232 2 0
1996 CHN MLB NL 541 498 84 136 21 2 40 281 100 34 134 18 5 .273 .323 .564 .291 4 0
1997 CHN MLB NL 694 642 90 161 31 4 36 308 119 45 174 22 12 .251 .300 .480 .229 5 0
1998 CHN MLB NL 722 643 134 198 20 0 66 416 158 73 171 18 9 .308 .377 .647 .339 5 0
1999 CHN MLB NL 712 625 114 180 24 2 63 397 141 78 171 7 8 .288 .367 .635 .347 6 0
2000 CHN MLB NL 705 604 106 193 38 1 50 383 138 91 168 7 4 .320 .406 .634 .315 8 0
2001 CHN MLB NL 711 577 146 189 34 5 64 425 160 116 153 0 2 .328 .437 .737 .409 12 0
2002 CHN MLB NL 666 556 122 160 19 2 49 330 108 103 144 2 0 .288 .399 .594 .306 4 0
2003 CHN MLB NL 589 517 99 144 22 0 40 286 103 62 143 0 1 .279 .358 .553 .275 5 0
2004 WTN AA SOU 7 6 0 2 1 0 0 3 1 1 2 0 0 .333 .429 .500 .167 0 0
2004 CHN MLB NL 539 478 69 121 21 0 35 247 80 56 133 0 0 .253 .332 .517 .264 3 0
2005 BAL MLB AL 424 380 39 84 15 1 14 143 45 39 84 1 1 .221 .295 .376 .155 3 0
2007 TEX MLB AL 454 412 53 104 24 1 21 193 92 34 112 0 0 .252 .311 .468 .216 5 0

Plate Discipline

YEAR Pits Zone% Swing% Contact% Z-Swing% O-Swing% Z-Contact% O-Contact% SwStr% CSAA

Injury History  —  No longer being updated

Last Update: 12/31/2014 23:59 ET

Date On Date Off Transaction Days Games Side Body Part Injury Severity Surgery Date Reaggravation
2005-08-26 2005-10-03 15-DL 38 36 Right Growth Big Toe -
2005-05-05 2005-05-24 15-DL 19 16 Left Foot Infection Staph In Abscess -
2004-05-16 2004-06-18 15-DL 33 30 Low Back Sprain -
2003-05-10 2003-05-30 15-DL 20 17 Infection Toe -
1996-08-21 1996-09-30 15-DL 40 38 Right Wrist Surgery Pisiform Fracture 1996-08-26 -
1992-08-07 1992-10-05 15-DL 59 55 Left Ankle Fracture Foul Ball - -
1992-06-13 1992-07-27 15-DL 44 38 Right Hand Fracture 5th Metacarpal - -

Compensation

Year Team Salary
2007 TEX $500,000
2005 BAL $17,000,000
2004 CHN $16,000,000
2003 CHN $13,000,000
2002 CHN $15,000,000
2001 CHN $12,500,000
2000 CHN $11,000,000
YearsDescriptionSalary
7 yrPrevious$85,000,000
7 yrTotal$85,000,000

 

Service TimeAgentContract Status
17 y 49 dAdam Katz, Tom Reich

Details
  • 1 year/$500,000 (2007). Signed by Texas as a free agent 1/07 (minor-league contract). Performance bonuses: $200,000 each for 200, 250, 300 PAs. $250,000 each for 350, 400, 450 & 500 PAs. $300,000 each for 550, 600 PAs. Award bonus: $200,000 for Comeback Player of Year. Contract purchased by Texas 4/07.
  • 4 years/$72M (2002-05), plus 2006 option (Chicago Cubs). $6M signing bonus. 02:$12M, 03:$13M, 04:$16M, 05:$17M, 06:$18M club option ($4.5M buyout). $3.5M severance payment due at end of contract. 2006 option becomes guaranteed if Sosa is traded. $19M 2007 option added if Sosa is traded. Sosa declined right to opt out after '03 & collect $1.75M buyout. Contract restructured 1/05 as part of trade to Baltimore, with Sosa agreeing to eliminate 1) 2006 option & 2) clause adding 2007 option. Orioles will pay $8.15M of 2005 salary. Cubs will pay: $8.85M of 2005 salary. $3.5M severance payment, due within 30 days of trade. $4.5M assignment bonus (replacing $4.5M '06 buyout).
  • 4 years/$42.5M (1998-2001). Signed extension with Chicago Cubs 6/97. $4M signing bonus ($2M at signing, $2M paid 1/98). 98:$7M, 99:$8M, 00:$10M, 01:$11M, 02:$12M mutual option ($2.5M buyout if Sosa exercises and club declines). Performance bonuses.
  • 2 years/$10.25M (1996-97), plus 1998 option. Signed extension with Chicago Cubs 1/96 (avoided arbitration, $5.95M-$4.9M). $500,000 signing bonus. 96:$4.5M. 97:$5.25M. 98:$5.75M player option. Performance bonuses, escalators.
  • 1 year/$4.3M (1995). Re-signed by Chicago Cubs 4/95 (avoided arbitration).
  • 1 year/$2.95M (1994). Re-signed by Chicago Cubs 1/94 (avoided arbitration, $3.2M-$2.7M). Performance bonuses.
  • 1 year/$695,000 (1993). Signed by Chicago Cubs 2/93. Earned $50,000 in performance bonuses.
  • 1 year/$180,000 (1992). Re-signed by Chicago White Sox 2/92. Acquired by Chicago Cubs in trade from Chicago White Sox 3/92.
  • 1 year/$150,000 (1991). Re-signed by Chicago White Sox 2/91.
  • 1 year/$100,000 (1990). Signed by Chicago White Sox 2/90.
  • 1 year/$68,000 (1989). Re-signed by Texas 2/89. Acquired by Chicago White Sox in trade from Texas 7/89.
  • Signed by Texas 1985 as an amateur free agent from the Dominican Republic. $3,500 signing bonus.

2019 Preseason Forecast

Last Update: 1/27/2017 12:35 ET

PCT PA R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO SB CS AVG OBP SLG DRC+ VORP FRAA WARP
Weighted Mean???????00??.000.000.00000.0?0.0

BP Annual Player Comments

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BP Articles

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BP Chats

DateQuestionAnswer
2014-01-02 13:00:00 (link to chat)Just for reference, the last 9 WARP seasons (rounding) by a RF? 2011 Jose Bautista, 2001 Sammy Sosa, 2001 Shawn Green, 1988 Jose Canseco, 1986 Jesse Barfield. (Add in LF, and you get a whole lot of Bonds, plus 2001 Luis Gonzalez and Rickey in 1990 and 1980. Also, holy 1980 Willie Wilson FRAA.) So I think I'd be surprised by a 9 win season.
(justarobert from Santa Clara)		It's a fair point, but I think Puig is a better defender than Bautista so can contribute more on that side of the ball. I'm not saying it's likely - it's not - but I do think it's within his spectrum of production. (Craig Goldstein)
2012-11-28 14:00:00 (link to chat)Hey Ben, I'm not sure if you noticed but the Hall of Fame ballot this year includes names such as Barry Bonds, Sammy Sosa, Roger Clemens, and Mark McGwire. We hear a lot about should they be in the hall of fame or not, what do you think the writers will do?
(Steve G. from Athens, OH)		They're going to vote Bonds and Clemens in eventually, I think--it's much harder to justify an argument that they wouldn't have been Hall of Famers without steroids than it is for Sosa and McGwire, and the Hall is going to have to have the best players ever in it if it wants people to pay to get in. But as that guy in Gladiator says, "Not yet...not yet." (Ben Lindbergh)
2012-07-24 13:00:00 (link to chat)What kind of career numbers would we probably have seen from Bo Jackson with out the injuries and a full focus on baseball ?
(19braves77 from Pensacola,FL)		Now that's an interesting question. From 88-90, he went from 2.1 WARP to 3.5 to 4.5. Now, you can't assume the upward trend will continue, but as you imply, Bo was not your typical case. Best case, a Sammy Sosa type career (with many fewer homers due to a later start and the overall environment). More likely case, a slightly faster, slightly better defending version of Kevin McReynolds (stat-wise, not excitement) (Dan Turkenkopf)
2011-04-05 13:00:00 (link to chat)Rank these players in their feasibility to enter the MLB Hall of Fame someday: 1. Shoeless Joe Jackson 2. Pete Rose 3. Mark McGwire 4. Barry Bonds 5. Roger Clemens 6. Sammy Sosa 7. Alex Rodriguez
(UCBravesKing from Covington, KY)		I think A-Rod before any of the rest, because his usage will be seen as a dalliance and the bulk of his career is so impressive. The same, to a lesser extent, can be said of Clemens and Bonds, but the weight of his usage is so much heavier with the ongoing lawsuits, the Congressional testimony, etc. ALL the steroids candidates will benefit from some moment TBD when we have a better understanding of the impact of steroids on production, because just about everything you see is supposition. (Steven Goldman)
2011-03-02 13:00:00 (link to chat)I don't wager, and of course would never encourage anyone else to either. But after the usual Vegas favorites like the Phillies, Red Sox and Yankees...what of the second-teir teams would you take a look at? Myself, I kinda like the White Sox and Tigers both going off at 25-1.
(singledigit from San Diego, Ca)		I've yet to make any bet more serious or since the buck I won on Sammy Sosa hitting 40 homers in 1996 (with myself and the man I'd bet against in attendance that very night he did it), so take my two cents with the appropriate spoonful of salt, but the White Sox at 25-1 look like a great choice. That said, I'm a believer that their rotation's the unit that might get them there, whether they get 16 starts from Jake Peavy or 26. (Christina Kahrl)
2011-01-05 13:00:00 (link to chat)Here are the players who likely will be on the ballot in 2014. Who ya got? Barry Bonds Roger Clemens Greg Maddux Tom Glavine Frank Thomas Mark McGwire Mike Piazza Sammy Sosa Curt Schilling Jeff Bagwell Barry Larkin Tim Raines Edgar Martinez Craig Biggio Mike Mussina Larry Walker Rafael Palmeiro Jack Morris Fred McGriff Alan Trammell Bernie Williams
(Justin from Chicago)		Based upon what I know now:

NO: Walker, Palmeiro, Morris, McGriff, Williams

YES: Bonds, Clemens, Maddux, Glavine, Thomas, McGwire, Piazza, Bagwell, Larkin, Raines, Edgar, Biggio

Tabled for further research: Sammy Sosa, Schilling, Mussina

That's more than 10 with the Yes group, so I'd probably withhold votes from anyone with legitimate PED connections until there was room. But wow, that's a logjam. (Jay Jaffe)
2009-01-22 13:00:00 (link to chat)I have a business venture for you. We can start the Hall of Very Good players. We can place it in nearby Utica, NY and players like Jeff Kent, Sammy Sosa, Curt Schilling can headline our class in 5 years or so! What do you think?
(Ryan from NY)		Pass. While none of the players yo mention are slam dunks, all three have reasonable HOF cases and I would expect one or two of them to get in.

Besides, I'd favor Schenectady over Utica out of personal allegiance to a friend. (Jay Jaffe)
2008-12-05 14:00:00 (link to chat)What do you think is the biggest gap between real and perceived HoF credentials going for an active player? I thought of Jeter, but even knocked back a few pegs from McCarver's love fest, he's a HoFer in most people's books. Maybe another way of putting it is who's the next Bert? The next Rice?
(Jim Clancy from Exhibition Stadium)		The next Bert arrived last year. His name is Tim Raines. Mike Mussina will be the next Bert on the 2014 ballot.

The next Rice may well be Sammy Sosa, whose low OBP and dearth of accomplishment after Age 35 hamstring his case along with the very vague allegations of PED use. That's not a true parallel to Rice except in the "overrated feared slugger who wasn't valuable for all that long" department. (Jay Jaffe)
2008-07-21 15:00:00 (link to chat)Longest home run you have ever seen in person? Mine has to be GlenAllen Hill's blast on top of the apartment building at Wrigley.
(warman from mount orab)		In person? Sammy Sosa's HR Derby shot in Milwaukee that went out the window. I saw Lance Berkman put on a show in college that if anyone from the NCAA had seen, they'd have banned composite bats right there. (Will Carroll)
2008-03-26 12:00:00 (link to chat)On your Jay Bruce comment...do you really think present day Jay Bruce is better than present day Barry Bonds?
(Ameer from Bloomington, IN)		Ah, very nice, you caught me. I do not, Bonds is the exception to the rule. I do think Bruce is better than Sammy Sosa though, so there. (Bryan Smith)
2008-02-05 13:00:00 (link to chat)What do you think Juan Gonzalez chances of a Sammy Sosa like comeback are?
(Tommy from TheStatPack)		Slim. We're starting the national anthems here, so I'm wrapping up. (Derek Jacques)
2008-01-22 19:00:00 (link to chat) Can you suggest any free-agent outfielders the Orioles might go after who promise greater productivity than does Corey Patterson?
(gradyjerome from New Bern, NC)		Well, there's that Bonds fellow...I'm looking at the list and it's not promising. What are your thoughts on Shawn Green? How about Luis Gonzalez? Roger Cedeno? Richard Hidalgo? How about a return visit from Sammy Sosa? I'd take a pass on just about everyone, really. I'd invite some of them to camp, but I wouldn't be going out of my way to sign anyone on that list, except for Bonds who will still be more productive than most. (Jim Baker)
2008-01-08 14:00:00 (link to chat)What do you think will happen when Sammy Sosa is up for election? He was never named in the Mitchell Report, never named in any of the stings over the last 5 years...there actually is no proof of him using steroids whatsoever, aside from public opinion.
(Jack from Chicago)		Well, Sosa was named in the Grimsley affidavit - the unsealed one, not the fake-o one the LA Times hacks reported on (featuring Clemens and Pettitte).

Despite the lack of hard evidence against Sosa, the number of writers who speak of him as though he himself had signed an affidavit declaring that he was on the juice during his heyday is staggering. He'll almost certainly suffer the same fate as McGwire simply on the basis of his lackluster showing in front of Congress in 2005. (Jay Jaffe)


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PITCHf/x Hitter Profile

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