Erik Sonberg

Erik T. Sonberg

• Bats Right, Throws Left
• Height 6' 2", Weight 195 lb.
• School Wichita State University
• High School Bishop Kelley High School

• Born ~1962

BR Minors page

Biographical Information

Pitcher Erik Sonberg was a first-round pick who reached AAA but never made the majors (though his brother-in-law did).

The Oakland Athletics took Sonberg in the 14th round of the 1980 amateur draft but he opted for college. He attended Wichita State University, where he won 37 games and recorded a 2.85 ERA over his three-year career. He had 17 wins and a 2.22 ERA in 1982, helping Wichita State make their first College World Series. He beat Oklahoma State University, 13-2, with 13 whiffs in the 1982 College World Series, and the Shockers made it to the finale. He was second-team All-American that year. He was selected by the Los Angeles Dodgers in the first round of the 1983 amateur draft with the 18th overall selection, right ahead of Roger Clemens (a 2003 article claimed Sonberg beat Clemens once in college and twice in the FSL, but Clemens only lost one game in the FSL and the article also makes an error in saying Sonberg pitched for Tacoma). He was the second lefty hurler taken that year, following Ray Hayward.

He pitched four years in the Dodgers organization. In his first season, he was 6-2 with a save and a 3.32 ERA for the Vero Beach Dodgers. Had he qualified, he would have just missed the Florida State League top 10 in ERA. While he did well, the guy picked right after him did even better as Clemens had a 3-1, 1.24 record. In 1984, Erik fell to 5-13, 7.34 for the AAA Albuquerque Dukes with 169 hits and 79 walks to 75 strikeouts in 133 2/3 innings. He was second in the 1984 Pacific Coast League in defeats, trailing only teammate Dean Rennicke. Back with the Dukes in 1985, he had very similar stats (2-6, 7.45, 1.80 WHIP) before a shoulder injury ended his season. He would go on to have five shoulder surgeries.

After missing all of 1986, Sonberg returned in 1987 with the San Antonio Dodgers (2-7, 5.54, 101 H in 74 2/3 IP) and Vero Beach Dodgers (1-5, 4.40). He played in the Milwaukee Brewers chain in 1988, getting roughed up (21 H, 10 BB, 16 R in 14 1/3 IP) for the El Paso Diablos. He split 1989 between the Chicago White Sox' Sarasota White Sox (1-2, 6.28, 20 H, 8 BB in 14 1/3 IP) and the Baltimore Orioles' Hagerstown Suns (2-3, 6.98, 39 H, 20 BB in 29 2/3 IP) before calling it a career.

Sonberg was 19-38 with a 6.20 ERA in six seasons as a pro, 13-36 after his first year.

He is the brother-in-law of major leaguer Charlie O'Brien and minor league slugger John O'Brien and the uncle of Chris O'Brien.

After baseball, Sonberg sold insurance and was a financial planner before going into a family business, Island Water Sports.