Sample Player Profile Page

SOSA, JORGE


Nickname:	N/A	Position:	P
Home:	Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic	Team:	Retired
Height:	6' 2"	Bats:	S
Weight:	180	Throws:	R
DOB:	4/28/1978	Agent:	N/A
Birth City:	Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic	Draft:	1995 - Rockies - Free agent
Uniform #:	N/A		1995 - Rockies - Free agent

YR	LEA	TEAM	SAL(K)	G	IP	H	SO	BB	GS	CG	SHO	SV	W	L	OBA	ERA
2001	NWL	EVERETT		21	59	45	57	19	7	0	0	7	3	1		1.69
2001	MWL	WISCONSIN		2	2	3	4	0	0	0	0	0	0	0		9.00
2002	AL	DEVIL RAYS	$200.00	31	99.1	88	48	54	14	0	0	0	2	7	0.236	5.53
2003	AL	DEVIL RAYS	$300.00	29	128.2	137	72	60	19	1	1	0	5	12	0.278	4.62
2003	IL	DURHAM		4	25	32	17	9	4	0	0	0	1	1		5.47
2004	IL	DURHAM		3	13	11	23	0	3	0	0	0	1	2		2.77
2004	AL	DEVIL RAYS	$312.00	43	99.1	100	94	54	8	0	0	1	4	7	0.259	5.53
2005	NL	BRAVES	$650.00	44	134	122	85	64	20	0	0	0	13	3	0.241	2.55
2006	NL	BRAVES		26	87.1	105	58	32	13	0	0	3	3	10	0.298	5.46
2006	NL	CARDINALS		19	30.2	33	17	8	0	0	0	1	0	1	0.275	5.28
2007	NL	METS		42	112.2	109	69	41	14	0	0	0	9	8	0.255	4.47
2007	PCL	NEW ORLEANS		5	32	29	29	4	5	0	0	0	4	0		1.13
2008	NL	METS	$2,000.00	20	21.2	30	12	11	0	0	0	0	4	1	0.323	7.06
2008	PCL	TACOMA		10	14.2	14	12	13	0	0	0	2	1	0		3.68
2008	PCL	ROUND ROCK		17	21.2	20	24	8	0	0	0	2	1	2		4.15
2009	IL	SYRACUSE		20	48.1	40	53	13	4	0	0	3	1	2		2.79
2009	NL	NATIONALS		18	22.1	28	17	12	0	0	0	2	2	1	0.311	6.45
2010	PCL	NEW ORLEANS		23	59	74	45	15	9	0	0	1	5	4		4.73
2010	NL	MARLINS		22	36.2	39	19	18	2	0	0	0	2	3	0.271	4.66

Sosa was able to glean a lot of information on baseball as a youngster.

"My father was a scout for the Pirates, so I grew up around a lot of those guys," Jorge said. "Juan Marichal, George Bell, Pedro Martinez. They were always nice to the young kids, telling them about baseball and what it takes to be successful."

Sosa said he also idolized his Dad. "He was a shortstop," Sosa said. "He taught me the discipline you need to play the game." (Paul C. Smith-MLB.com-10/19/04)

Sosa spent almost six years in the Rockies organization as an outfielder with one of the better arms in the minors. But he didn't hit well.
December 2000: The Mariners had watched Jorge throw out their baserunners from the outfield, so they selected him in the Rule 5 Draft and during 2001 Spring Training converted him into a pitcher.

Seattle had successfully moved RHP Rafael Soriano from right field to the pitcher's mound, too.
In 2001, he was among the Northwest League leaders in saves, but fell a couple of innings short of being eligible for the ERA title.
On July 21, 2002, Sosa was standing in the Devil Rays' clubhouse (actually the visiting clubhouse at Toronto's SkyDome) receiving the traditional cold beer shower to commemorate and celebrate his first Major-League victory.
On May 11, 2003, Sosa lost his job in the Majors when he disregarded Devil Rays manager Lou Piniella's rules. Actually, it was ineffectiveness on the mound, too.

"It was a combination of both, but more off-the-field than on,'' Piniella said. "What happened, basically, was that we have a rule that when you exit the game, you stay in the dugout until the inning's over. And that didn't happen.''

Piniella said the rule is meant to protect pitchers from themselves as much as to promote camaraderie. It's a bit of a cooling-off period to guard against "pitchers hurting themselves'' by throwing a tantrum.
August 21, 2008: Sosa was suspended 50 games for testing positive under baseball's minor league drug program. The right-hander tested positive for an amphetamine.

TRANSACTION REPORT
December 2001: The Brewers chose Sosa out of the Mariner organization at the Rule 5 Draft.
March 2002: The Devil Rays claimed Jorge off waivers from the Brewers.
2005: Sosa and the D'Rays avoided their arbitration hearing and settled on $650,000. While Sosa didn't get the $950,000 he sought, he did get more than the $550,000 offered by the Rays, nearly doubling his $327,500 salary from the 2004 season.
March 31, 2005: The Braves sent INF Nick Green to the Devil Rays, acquiring Sosa.
July 31, 2006: The Braves sent Sosa to the Cardinals, acquiring P Rich Scalamandre.
December 12, 2006: The Cardinals didn't tender Jorge a contract for 2007, making him a free agent.
January 14, 2007: Sosa signed a one-year, $1.25 million contract with the Mets.
May 21, 2008: The Mets released Jorge.
May 28, 2008: Sosa signed with the Astros organization.

The Astros released Jorge in mid-July, 2008.
July 2008: Sosa signed with the Mariners.
December 23, 2008: Jorge signed with the Nationals organization.
January 15, 2010: Sosa signed with the Red Sox.

PERSONAL:

Sosa has a power-arm. He can fire his FASTBALL in the 92-98 mph range. His sharp SLIDER is a good one and his CHANGEUP is a decent third pitch. He worked on adding deception to his delivery after the 2001 season in Instructional League.

Jorge got off to a superb start at New Orleans in 2007 because he was throwing his slider for strikes. Sosa had a record of 4-0 with a 1.13 ERA with the Zephyrs when he was promoted to the Mets on May 4, 2007.

In April 2004, when he was sent to the Durham Bulls (IL), then-D'Rays Manager Lou Piniella added: "Sosa will go down and start. And there are two things he needs to work on. One, how to pitch inside to left-handed hitters. And two, he needs to develop a split-finger pitch. For his development, I think this is the right thing to do," Piniella said.

Jorge has surprisingly good command, considering he hasn't pitched all that much.
Sosa is able to be a part of the starting rotation, or he can pitch long relief. That flexibility is helpful to a team.

BREAKDOWN VS. LEFTIES AND RIGHTIES
In 2004, this righty pitcher allowed a .283 average and an alarmingly high 14 home runs in 48 innings vs. lefthanded pitchers. But he held righthanded hitters to a .236 mark and 3 home runs in 51 innings.
In 2005, lefthanded hitters only managed a .247 average with 8 home runs in 251 at-bats, while he held righthanded batters to a .235 average with 4 home runs in 255 at-bats.
In 2006, Jorge allowed a whopping .326 average with 13 home runs in 190 at-bats against lefthanded hitters, and a .270 average with 17 home runs in 282 at-bats vs. righthanded batters.
In 2007, Sosa allowed lefthanded hitters a .326 average again, but with 7 home runs in 184 at-bats. And he really shut down lefthanded hitters: only a .202 average and 3 homers in 243 at-bats.
June 22, 2006: In a effort to shore up their ailing bullpen, the Braves moved Sosa from the starting rotation to the bullpen. The expectation is to utilize Jorge in the late innings, especially in the role of closer.

"He's got the stuff to do anything," Braves manager Bobby Cox said of Sosa. There had been speculation among the coaching staff that Sosa would return to the bullpen at the start of the 2006 season but a successful campaign in 2005 as a starter kept Jorge out of the pen initially.

"My main thing is that I want the team to win some ballgames," Sosa said. "I'll do whatever Cox wants me to do."
Sosa really does offer a somewhat unusual element: versatility. Jorge can start, pitch long relief or short relief. And, he has professed no preference for either starting or coming out of the bullpen.

"I like them both," Sosa said late in the 2006 season after he was dealt to the Cardinals. "That's what I've been doing this year�both."
In April 2007, Jorge worked with New Orleans pitching coach Mark Brewer who helped Sosa alter his arm slot, keeping the ball concealed longer so that batters find it more difficult to read and react to the incoming pitch.
In 2010, Sosa allowed lefthanded hitters a .286 with 3 home runs in 56 at-bats, while allowing righthanded batters a .261 average with one home run in 88 at-bats.
Sosa enters the 2011 season with a career record of 44-53 with a 4.72 ERA, having allowed hitters 112 home runs and 791 hits in 773 innings.

PITCHING:

May 2002: Sosa went on the D.L. with a strained right shoulder. He was reactivated June 25.

July 1-16, 2007: Jorge went on the D.L. after an MRI determined that Sosa suffered a Grade 2 strained left hamstring. It is considered a moderate injury, with Grade 4 being the worst.

CAREER INJURY REPORT: