The Rangers’ decision to pursue outfielder Sammy Sosa wasn’t based on his workout for club officials Monday in Arlington, Texas. His actual audition occurred approximately two weeks ago, when Sosa displayed his skills to Rangers scout Don Welke in the Dominican Republic. The Rangers, acting on Welke’s recommendation, invited Sosa to meet with club officials in Texas, then offered him a minor-league contract.
The question with Sosa is how effectively he could be after sitting out a season. The Rangers probably would expect him to be better than he was in his final season with the Orioles (.295 on-base percentage, .376 slugging percentage) but perhaps not as good as he was in 2004, his his final season with the Cubs (.332 OBP, .517 SLG).
During 17 seasons with the Rangers (1989), Chicago White Sox (1989-91), Chicago Cubs (1992-2004) and Baltimore (2005), Sosa is a .274 career hitter with 588 home runs and 1,575 RBIs. He ranks fifth on the career home run list, and he hit more than 60 homers in a season three times.