The drums are beating for phenom pitcher Kerry Wood, which is as it should be. But the Cubs have another player who has elevated his game–Sammy Sosa.
He’s redefining himself. He was known as one of the National League’s strikeout leaders and he was the first Cub with a 30-30 season–30 home runs and 30 stolen bases–which he has done twice. He is also among the few Cubs sluggers with a 40 home-run season, and in the last three years he has driven in more than 100 runs.
Now he’s more than that.
“He’s always been a terrific player.” said broadcaster Ron Santo, the Cubs’ former star third baseman. “But this is his best year. Last year he tried to do too much. He was trying for the six-run home run. This year the club’s better and a lot of the pressure is off him. He’s more relaxed and more patient. You can tell, because he’s not swinging at bad pitches.
Before this season, Sosa was among the NL’s whiff kings. Last year he struck out 174 times to lead the league. Today, he’s tied for fifth with 63 whiffs, a significant reversal.
“What happened last week in Philadelphia was the best example of how Sammy has taken his game to another level,” observed manager Jim Riggleman. “It was the only game we won in the series. Twice, Sammy had two strikes on him with a runner on third and less than two outs. One time he grounded to third and brought the runner in. And then he flied out to center and drove in another run.
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“Just by making contact he drove in two crucial runs. I’m not going to say if it was last year he would have struck out. Nobody can know that. But there’s no doubt he’s now more disciplined at the plate.”
The overall result can be seen in the NL stats. He is eighth in batting with a .335 average (up 88 points from his career average), fourth in RBIs with 63, third in home runs with 24 and tied for first in total bases at 169. Equally important, he has drawn 32 walks, only 13 fewer than he drew all of last season.
“He has been impressive to watch on a daily basis, just the energy he brings to the field,” said reserve outfielder Matt Mieske, who was signed as a free agent last December. “He plays at a high level all the time. Some guys can do that once in a while. Somehow Sammy does that every day.”
The observant Mieske, who someday will be a big-league batting coach, says Sosa’s an excellent off-the-field role model.
“A lot of people put a stigma on superstars,” Mieske said. “They misread people in the limelight. Society seems to believe because a ballplayer gets $10 million a year, they are catered to and get all kinds of special privileges.”
Before he joined the Cubs, Mieske didn’t have any preconceived notions about Sosa, only that he had a reputation for swinging at the outside breaking ball a foot out of the strike zone.
“But for as good as he is and for the success he has had, he’s very pleasant,” Mieske said. “It’s very easy to be around him, very easy to talk to him. I’m fascinated by his ability.”
Coach Billy Williams, a Hall-of-Famer, is also a big Sosa fan.
“The thing you have to realize is that he was only 18 or 19 when he came up to the big leagues. An anxious kid, a free swinger. No one can teach patience. But Sammy has learned that you can’t hurry everything. He has learned how to slow it down, that he doesn’t have to swing at the first pitch.”
Today, Sosa usually takes the first pitch, even when it’s a strike. He now goes deeper in the count and, like many outstanding hitters, is confident he can deliver with two strikes.
Jeff Pentland, the Cubs’ new batting coach, has helped in the slowdown but otherwise takes no credit. “He’s just a good hitter, a natural,” he said. “And he has the personality of the good hitter. He can go 0 for 4 one day and the next day he’ll hit three home runs.”
Sosa has been hitting to all fields more than ever and already has a three-homer game this season against Milwaukee on Monday. He has clubbed seven home runs in his last five games and 11 in the last 10 games at Wrigley Field.
If he maintains his current pace, he will break the club’s home run and RBI records for June. He needs only four more home runs and six RBIs to break them. Before he’s through, Sosa could rank among the Cubs’ best power hitters of all time.