When Bryce Harper hit perhaps the greatest home run in franchise history in Game 5 of the 2022 NLDS, he didn’t yell in excitement or sprint around the bases as he previously had after timely home runs. He simply looked to the home dugout and ran his fingers across the Phillies logo in a rectangular shape, and took in the energy at Citizens Bank Park.
Much of the energy that had been injected into the Phillies late in the season — along with a celebration that’s become synonymous with big moments — came from Edmundo Sosa.
Fast forward to Friday evening at Citizens Bank Park, and Sosa again was the life of the party in front of a sellout crowd, helping lead the Phillies to a comeback win over the Colorado Rockies a night after they looked lifeless in a shutout.
Phillies Nation spoke with Sosa’s manager and some of his key teammates to ask where the energy comes from and what it’s meant to the club since he was acquired in a trade from the St. Louis Cardinals last July.
Rob Thomson: “He does bring [extra energy] to the team. He does the [motions across his chest like Sosa’s celebration] and all that. And he’s flying around the field and he has a lot of fun when he’s playing. He’s a wonderful guy, very quiet. But when he’s on the field, it’s electric.”
Zack Wheeler: “Yeah, I mean he always brings that energy. We saw is last year when he came to us and got some big hits for us in big moments. He’s not afraid to show up in the moment. He’s a clutch player … he’s a really good player … and he’s an asset to this team.”
Kyle Schwarber: “Yeah, great player. I felt like last year when we made the trade for him and Marshy and got some really good young players … the way that he brought energy to us last year and the way that he’s doing it this year is fantastic. He’s putting up great quality at-bats and going out there on defense and making plays look pretty easy that aren’t easy. I’m happy that we were able to work that out with St. Louis and that he’s over here now.”
Bryson Stott: I don’t know [he says before laughing] — he just brings it. He does his little thing [Stott motions to imitate his celebration] and everyone’s kind of caught up to that. He just does it and everyone loves it.”
Nick Castellanos: [He’s] somebody who is really focused, excited and dedicated to their craft. I think that Edmundo really came into his own last year in being able to be with us through the postseason. I think he’s reached a new level of baseball player. And I mean you definitely saw that, even from the beginning of Spring Training. Just his mannerisms … how he was in conversations in the dugout … [he’s] just really coming into his own as a baseball player. I don’t really know what he was like in St. Louis, maybe a little bit intimidated or labeled or something. But here in Philly, he’s definitely coming into his own, I guess you can say.”
Aaron Nola: Ha, he’s great … he’s awesome. He’s worked so hard … has a lot of energy … good baseball player.”
Brandon Marsh: “He’s always active, ready to go. He’s a huge spark and he’s a heck of a player, heck of a talent and heck of a teammate. When you have a nine-hole [hitter] like Sosa who can hit anywhere in the lineup, it’s pretty special. Yeah, we needed him there on that AB, big time. We didn’t want anyone else up there. We needed three-three up there and he got the job done.”
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When the Phillies acquired Sosa for LHP JoJo Romero last July, there was some confusion as to why Dave Dombrowski targeted a player slashing .189/.244/.270.
Nine months later, it’s looking like one of the best deals that Dombrowski’s made in his Hall of Fame-caliber career as an executive.
Not only has Sosa been as advertised as a defensive weapon, but in 97 at-bats since joining the Phillies (regular and postseason combined), he’s hitting .320 with 21 RBIs.
Granted, Sosa’s overall body of work with the Phillies is still relatively small. But 2023 was just his first year of arbitration eligibility, meaning Sosa can’t become a free agent until after the 2026 season. So there’s a good chance that the 27-year-old will be providing a spark for the Phillies for the foreseeable future.
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