I knew that Cubs utility man Vidal Brujan homered in yesterday’s Spring Training game. I knew he’d been seen talking to Sammy Sosa, who is in camp right now as a guest instructor. And I knew some folks were saying (cheekily, I assumed) that Sosa’s tips were immediately paying off. That kind of thing.
But what I didn’t know until reading this Marquee piece was that, while it might be a stretch to say that Sammy immediately turned Vidal Brujan into a power hitter, there actually was a little more to the story.
Vidal Bruján talked hitting in the dugout with Sammy Sosa.He then homered in his next at-bat ? pic.twitter.com/N7p9SrFDvM
— Marquee Sports Network (@WatchMarquee) February 25, 2025You hear JD and Alex Cohen joking at the end of that clip that someone needs to do a Sammy hop when they go deep, but if you watch again, Brujan did! And it wasn’t a coincidence!
From the Marquee article:
‘While Vidal Bruján watched his home run ball soar to left field, the infielder did a little hop as he stepped out of the batter’s box.
It was an homage to Sammy Sosa — a hero from his hometown of San Pedro de Macorís, Dominican Republic and the man who offered some advice to him earlier in the game.
“That was done because of the tips that he gave me,” Bruján said after exiting the Cubs’ 4-2 win over the Diamondbacks in Cactus League play. “He also said a few words to me that I understood needed a sense of appreciation from me.”’
Brujan was indeed honoring his hometown hero, Sammy Sosa, with the hop on that home run! That just makes me smile, you know?
Brujan spoke much more in the piece about the importance of having Sosa around, which is something we’ve been banging the drum on for years. Not only might he actually have some useful tips(!), but his presence is an uplifting thing for so many players. The guy is a legend for a reason, and you just never know when having someone like that around could provide an assist at just the right time in a player’s development.
Brujan, 27, is out of minor league options, so he’ll have to make the Opening Day roster or hit waivers, at which point he’s likely to be claimed – the Cubs had to trade Matt Mervis to get him the last time he was on waivers. The former big-time Rays prospect has never quite broken through in the big leagues, showing off his defensive versatility and speed – both of which have a lot of value – but never performing on offense. The main reason? He just hasn’t hit the ball with enough authority consistently (23.9% hard contact) to generate an ISO (.080) or BABIP (.238) that can create productivity. He takes walks and makes contact, but at the core of every successful big league player is the ability, at times, to hit the ball hard. It not only creates extra bases, but it simply creates more hits.
But hey, maybe some tips from Sammy Sosa will help Vidal Brujan in that regard. He doesn’t actually have to become a home run hitter (he’s hit just 5 in his 550 big league plate appearances), but a little more thump would help his line across the board.
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