In Tucson 1 1/2 weeks ago, Sammy Sosa hit one of the longest home runs of his career. It was to dead center and estimated at 450 feet. When the game ended, a half-dozen of Sosa’s Cubs teammates, Mark Grace included, said words to the effect of, “See, what did I tell you?”
What Grace and the others told him is that it was further proof Sosa doesn’t have to take a hard swing for the ball to go a long way.
“It was a rocket,” Grace said. “And all he did was take a nice, easy swing.”
The point of the story is that if he shortened his stroke, Sosa would cut down on his strikeouts. And because of his strength he would continue to hit 30 to 40 home runs, as he has done in four of the last five seasons.
“It would be a big difference if Sammy put the ball in play 40 or 50 more times,” Grace said. “When he puts the ball in play or gets on with a walk, good things happen. He has the ability to steal bases. He could turn those walks into doubles and triples, and those are runs.”
Not all of Grace’s colleagues agree.
“If you try to cut down his strikeouts, he might not hit as many home runs or drive in 120 runs,” pitching coach Phil Regan said. “You have to accept Sammy for what he is. Sure, he strikes out a lot, but overall, he’s a terrific ballplayer.”
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Coach Billy Williams, a Hall of Fame power hitter who seldom overswung, doesn’t want Sosa to lose power. “You can’t change his style of hitting,” Williams said. “A home run hitter has to be aggressive. That’s why they strike out so much. You ought to check out Reggie Jackson’s strikeouts.”
We did and were reminded that Jackson, who was among the best power hitters of his time, struck out 2,597 times–more than any player in big-league history. To put it in better perspective, he had 26 strikeouts for every 100 at-bats.
There is also this to remember: Because of the growing platoon of sluggers, the strikeout ratio has been increasing.
For example, when Babe Ruth retired in 1935, he was the career strikeout leader with 1,330. Today he wouldn’t even get a call and has fallen to 47th on the all-time whiff list. Also, Ruth struck out in only 16 percent of his at-bats. In the National League last season, 20 percent of all at-bats resulted in strikeouts.
“It has become the way of life,” said Cubs President Andy MacPhail.
Manager Jim Riggleman is among those who believe Sosa should shorten his swing, especially in crucial late-inning situations when the tying or winning run is in scoring position. But Riggleman acknowledged the danger in tampering with Sosa’s swing.
Not surprisingly, Sosa insists it’s too late for him to make even a minor change. When told of Grace’s comments about his ability to clear any fence with a controlled stroke, Sosa said he has heard it before.
“People say that after every time I make contact and the ball goes out of the ballpark,” he said. “But I always swing the same way.”
The opinion here is that adjusting his swing is not the problem. More importantly, he should stop swinging at bad pitches. Chances are as many as half of his strikeouts are on pitches out of the strike zone.
This correction is expected to be made during the season ahead because of the addition of former Montreal slugger Henry Rodriguez, who has averaged 31 home runs the last two seasons.
The presence of Rodriguez should take some of the pressure off Sosa for the simple reason he no longer will be the club’s only power source. With Grace and Rodriguez hitting behind him, opponents will be unable to “pitch around” Sammy in clutch situations.
Which means during the long season ahead, Sosa will get better pitches to hit. “Now we have more people to pick me up,” he said.
Sosa is eager to reduce his strikeouts. He led the NL last season with 174 and is confident he can lower this to 140 or fewer. He emphasizes he can offer no guarantee but insists he will be a more disciplined hitter.
If he is, it will be an exciting summer at Wrigley Field.