Player Profile: Henry Sosa

Lost in the trade deadline madness of last season was the acquisition of Henry Sosa. Understandably, the Jeff Keppinger trade to the Giants was viewed as more of a cost cutting move than about who we got in return but Sosa would make an impression in the latter part of the season. Henry would make a number of good to excellent starts in August and September which demonstrates why he was once a very highly touted prospect. Sosa could be a major wildcard in 2012 as he has a chance to become a viable option as a back of the rotation starter.

Sosa was once a promising prospect within the Giants organization, getting all the way up to their #2 prospect in 2007. The problem, like with so many young arms, was injuries. Sosa would go down with various alignments in the 2008 and 2009 seasons, which sidetracked a once promising career. The right hander would still be steady, yet unspectacular, upon his return to the Giants farm system but he would eventually be moved to the bullpen. His time in the pen would not go well and Sosa’s days as a prospect would end. So the once top prospect would have to take the long road to the majors, without a defined role, but the Astros would soon change that.

Last July, the Astros traded their reliable second baseman, Jeff Keppinger, to the Giants for Jason Stoffel and Henry Sosa. While the move went under the radar, after short but very successful stints in double and triple A, Sosa would soon make his impact in Houston. Henry would provide the Astros with a number of strong starts going  3-5 with a 5.23 era over 10 starts. His era doesn’t look great but he did show some interesting potential with the Astros and made himself  a strong candidate for the rotation or long relief in 2012.

Too often we focus on the headline making deals but sometimes the small deals can add valuable pieces to a rebuilding or contending club. For example, Richard Hidalgo was dealt to the New York Mets for Dan Wheeler and at the time not many fans realized how incredibly valuable Wheels would become over his time in Houston. I don’t claim to know how much Sosa will contribute to the Astros from this point forward but after a strong 2011, he might end up being a key piece to the 2012 club.