Following the departure of Matt Vierling and Nick Maton to the Detroit Tigers in the Gregory Soto trade, the Philadelphia Phillies have been looking for their next backup center fielder.
With the options on the current roster sparse, the Phillies have turned to utilityman infielder Edmundo Sosa. Known for his stellar defense up the middle as a shortstop, Philadelphia's staff believe he could be of use in center field with his speed.
If Sosa can figure it out, it would allow for more opportunities to get his bat in the lineup. Yes, Jake Cave or Dalton Guthrie have impressed early and one of them will very likely be the backup for Brandon Marsh. However, if Sosa can perform in the outfield it would allow the Phillies more maneuverability when it comes to the 26-man roster.
The importance of having that versatility and flexibility with the roster cannot be understated.
In his first appearance in center on Saturday, Sosa did "okay." It wasn't a lights out performance, but he didn't look lost either.
Here is what manager Rob Thomson had to say.
"For me, typical first game for an infielder moving to center field," manager Rob Thomson said. "You're probably going to see it for a bit, when the ball's hit in the air, he goes back. It's just natural. He's just got to get to the point where he instinctually just hangs out, because he's always going back on balls when he's in the infield and he goes back tremendously. He's got to trust himself and he will. He's athletic, he can run. The best route he had was the ball in the first inning and he almost ran that ball down. It would have been a hell of a catch."
He will get more opportunity this spring to ply his trade in the outfield. It's still early, but Sosa has the athleticism to see this experiment through to success.
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