Steven Souza Has Bright Post-Trade MLB Future as Offensive Threat

The Tampa Bay Rays stunned the baseball world Wednesday, agreeing to trade 2013 American League Rookie of the Year Wil Myers to the San Diego Padres as part of a three-team deal with the Washington Nationals, according to The Associated Press (h/t FoxSports.com).

In return for Myers, the Rays will receive a package of five young players, including outfielder Steven Souza Jr., who famously preserved Jordan Zimmermann’s no-hitter on the final day of the regular season with a game-ending, diving catch in left-center field.

Souza, 25, put up monstrous numbers at Triple-A Syracuse last season, but the Nationals’ surplus of outfielders prevented him from receiving consistent playing time. But Souza’s situation in Washington wasn’t going to improve in 2015, which prompted the Nationals to include him in Wednesday’s trade.

Now penciled in as the Rays’ Opening Day left fielder, Souza will finally have an opportunity to show what he can do on a near-everyday basis. And if it’s anything close to his performance over the last two years, he’s going to blow past expectations.

A third-round draft pick back in 2007, Souza is often referred to as a “late bloomer” because his career really didn’t take off until late 2012.

A variety of injuries as well as character issues delayed Souza’s development, most notably a 50-game suspension for violating baseball’s drug policy (banned stimulant) in 2010.

The following year, he was benched for High-A Potomac’s final playoff game for violating team rules. Upon learning the news, Souza proceeded to argue with the P-Nats’ then-manager, Matt LeCroy, and then called the organization’s farm director to announce he was quitting.

Souza eventually changed his mind and rejoined the club the next spring, but not before gaining some much-needed perspective on his situation, via James Wagner of The Washington Post:

"

This is weird to say, but I think it was the best thing that ever happened to me. Once baseball was taken away, it was kind of my identity, as a baseball player. Wherever I went, in my home town or among my friends, I was the man. I had this upper-echelon level. Once it was taken away from me, I had to check myself. I need to make a change in my life not just baseball-wise, but my outlook on life.

"

Finally at ease, Souza, 23 at the time, turned in a long-overdue breakthrough performance in 2012, batting .297/.366/.572 with 23 home runs, 85 RBI and 14 stolen bases in 97 games between Low-A Hagerstown and Potomac.

He officially put himself back on the prospect radar the following year with a .297/.396/.548 batting line, 15 home runs and 20 stolen bases at Double-A Harrisburg, but injuries limited the blossoming outfielder to only 77 games.

Souza would make up for some of the lost time in the Arizona Fall League, but his age (25) and lack of prospect hype still had him flying under the radar heading into 2014.

However, that changed in a big way this past season at Triple-A Syracuse: The 6’4”, 225-pound outfielder was named International League MVP after pacing the league in batting average (.345), on-base percentage (.427) and slugging (.577), in addition to tallying 18 home runs, 25 doubles, 77 RBI and 28 stolen bases in 100 games.

Souza also received his first taste of the major leagues in 2014 but went just 3-for-23 in 21 games, a majority of which he entered as a defensive replacement. That’s exactly what he did in Game 162 of the regular season, and we all know how that turned out... It’s also worth noting that two of Souza’s three hits were bombs and that one of them went really, really far.

Souza is the type of player who will surprise people once given consistent playing time, as his combination of size, athleticism, tools and secondary skills profile favorably in a big league outfield.

In terms of offensive potential, FanGraphs’ Kiley McDaniel compares Souza to Matt Joyce—who was traded by Tampa Bay earlier in the week—and notes that, “There’s at least a couple teams that think he’ll be at least an average bat with above average power.”

But unlike Joyce, Souza is not a platoon candidate. A right-handed batter, Souza had impressive splits this year at Syracuse, posting a 1.050 OPS and .938 OPS against righties and lefties, respectively. And for what it’s worth, his 2013 splits at Harrisburg (.978 OPS vs. RHP; .895 OPS vs. LHP) suggest it’s not a fluke.

Meanwhile, Souza’s speed and ability to play all three positions should make him a near-everyday player for the Rays, and they’ll have him under control through the 2020 season.

Obviously, this deal has the potential to go down for all the wrong reasons if Myers returns to his 2013 form in San Diego. However, the fact that the Rays targeted Souza suggests they believe his strong track record will translate in the major leagues, therefore giving the organization a cheap source of right-handed power for the years to come.