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Pablo Sandoval

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Pablo Sandoval
Pablo Sandoval tagging a player at 3rd base
San Francisco Giants – No. 48
3rd Baseman/1st Baseman
Born: (1986-08-11) August 11, 1986 (age 38)
Puerto Cabello, Venezuela
Bats: Switch
Throws: Right[1]
debut
August 14, 2008, for the San Francisco Giants
Career statistics
(through 2012 season)
Batting average.303
Hits636
Home runs76
Runs batted in310
On base percentage.353
Slugging percentage.490
Teams
Career highlights and awards

Pablo Eisler Sandoval (born August 11, 1986), nicknamed "Kung Fu Panda",[2] is a Venezuelan professional baseball infielder for the San Francisco Giants of Major League Baseball. Sandoval is a 5 foot 11 inch, 290-pound switch hitter.[3] He was born left handed, but did not want to have to play outfield all of his career. He therefore taught himself to throw right handed as well. He can still throw with both hands, but throws right handed during games.[1]

Minor leagues

Signed as an undrafted free agent in 2002, Sandoval began his professional career as a catcher in 2004 with the AZL Giants, hitting .266 with no home runs and 26 RBIs in 177 at bats.

In 2005, he was used almost entirely as a third baseman while playing for the Salem-Keizer Volcanoes. He hit .330 with three home runs and 50 RBIs. His batting average slumped in 2006 to .265. He had one home run and 49 RBIs with the Augusta GreenJackets that year, splitting time between first and third base. In 2007, he played for the San Jose Giants, hitting .287 with 11 homers and 52 RBIs. That season, he was used as a catcher and first baseman.

In 2008, he spent time with two minor league teams, the Single-A San Jose Giants and the Double-A Connecticut Defenders, before being called up to the majors. In 273 at bats for San Jose, he hit .359 with 12 home runs and 59 RBIs. In 175 at bats with Connecticut, he hit .337 with 8 homers and 37 RBIs. In total, he hit .350 with 20 home runs and 96 RBIs in 2008.

Major leagues

Sandoval was called up to the Majors on August 13, 2008. He debuted the next day, August 14, going 0-for-3. In his first MLB plate appearance, he hit a sacrifice fly for an RBI. He got his first hit in the second inning of his next game, August 16, on his way to going 3-for-5. In 41 games in 2008, he hit .345 with 3 home runs and 24 RBI, striking out only 14 times in 154 at-bats. He hit his first MLB home run on August 27 off Livan Hernandez of the Colorado Rockies.

On defense, the Giants have used him as a catcher for pitcher Barry Zito,[4] who gave Sandoval the nickname Kung Fu Panda[2] after the rotund Sandoval scored a run against the Los Angeles Dodgers by acrobatically jumping over the tag of catcher Danny Ardoin.[5]

In 2009 spring training, he batted .457, leading all batters with 80 or more at bats.[6] On May 12, 2009, Sandoval hit his first walk-off home run to beat the Washington Nationals 9–7. In 2008, he had 145 at bats, he batted .345, while hitting into only 6 double-plays. After 73 games played, San Francisco Chronicle columnist Scott Ostler wrote that Sandoval had made the most impressive transition from the Giants farm system since 1986 when Will Clark and Robby Thompson were rookies.[7]

Sandoval's first days in the majors were marked by a tendency to free swing. Giants hitting coach Carney Lansford noted that Sandoval contributed to the team's drawing the fewest walks in the National League at a time when the overall number of walks throughout baseball had increased. "As much as I try to get him to be disciplined, it's like caging a lion. He leaves the dugout ready to swing the bat. I literally tell him before every at-bat, 'Swing at a strike."[8] Sandoval himself characterized his approach as: "See ball, swing." In July 2009, he was named a Sprint Final Vote candidate for the 80th annual All-Star Game for the final roster spot on the National League team.[9] He was beat out by Shane Victorino of the Philadelphia Phillies on the last day of voting.[10]

On July 6, 2009, Sandoval hit his first career grand slam at home at AT&T Park against the visiting Florida Marlins.

On July 30, 2009, Sandoval hit his first home run into McCovey Cove on Willie McCovey's 50th anniversary of his MLB Debut with McCovey in attendance. At the time of the home run, McCovey was being interviewed by Giants commentators Duane Kuiper and Mike Krukow on the Giant's flagship station CSN Bay Area. Sandoval also made Giants history for most hits by a Giants switch-hitter in a single season with 189 in 2009.

Sandoval finished the 2009 season with the second-highest batting average among NL hitters, at .330, and finished seventh in NL MVP voting.[11]

Sandoval, however, saw a sophomore slump in 2010, with a .268 batting average, 13 home runs, and 63 RBI. Sandoval hired Triple Threat Performance of Tempe, AZ to help him lose weight over the offseason and to help improve his performance.[12] By the time that Spring Training started he had lost a reported 38 pounds.[13] In his first three 2011 Spring Training games, Sandoval connected for 2 home runs.

Entering 2011, the Giants made a publicized campaign called "Operation Panda," which was aimed at getting Sandoval into better shape during the offseason and shedding the extra pounds.[14] "Operation Panda" worked masterfully, with the third baseman losing 30-plus pounds, and more importantly, it led to results on the field for Sandoval. After a subpar 2010 season, Sandoval returned to 2009 form. He got off to a good start in 2011 but however suffered a broken hamate bone in late April and missed 4–6 weeks. On July 10, 2011, Sandoval was selected to the National League All-Star team. In his first All-Star at bat, Sandoval hit an RBI ground-rule double and NL won 2011 MLB All-Star Game.

On September 15, 2011, Sandoval hit for the cycle at Colorado against pitcher Jhoulys Chacin. He had (in order) a two-run HR in the 1st, single in the 2nd, double in the 5th and a triple in the 6th.[15] On September 19, 2011, Sandoval earned his first career "NL Player of the Week" Award.[16] In 2011, Sandoval hit .315 with 23 home runs and 70 RBI's, which is a significant improvement from 2010. He only had 462 at-bats which is a lot less than his other at-bat season totals in 2009, and 2010.

On April 26, 2012, Pablo Sandoval hit a single in the 4th inning of a game against the Cincinnati Reds at Great American Ballpark in Cincinnati. This was the 19th consecutive game since Opening Day in which Sandoval had a hit, setting a Giants franchise record for longest consecutive hitting streak to begin a season. The previous record - of 18 games - was set by Johnny Rucker in 1945.[17] On July 1, 2012, it was announced that Sandoval had made his second All-Star team, as starting third baseman for the National League. On July 10, 2012, at Kansas City's Kauffman Stadium, Sandoval highlighted the N.L.'s five-run opening inning with the first bases-loaded triple in the history of the Midsummer Classic.

On October 24, 2012, in game one of the World Series, Sandoval hit a solo home run in the first inning and followed with a two-run home run in the third inning off 2011 MVP and Cy Young Award winner Justin Verlander. He became the first player to hit two home runs in the first three innings of any World Series game since Andruw Jones did it in 1996 for the Atlanta Braves.

Personal

Sandoval was born in Puerto Cabello, Carabobo, Venezuela.[3] Sandoval is a devout Roman Catholic, and blesses himself after each base hit. He attributes his success to his faith, saying it is important to be “seizing the opportunities offered in life by God and the need to fight tirelessly, not to survive but to excel.”[18]

References

  1. ^ a b Schulman, Henry. "All the comforts of far-away home". The San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved 2009-03-08.
  2. ^ a b Castrovince, Anthony (February 10, 2009). "For ballplayers, what's in a (nick)name?". MLB.com. Retrieved 2009-05-13.
  3. ^ a b "Pablo Sandoval Stats, Bio, Photo, Highlights | SFGiants.com: Team". MLB.com. Retrieved 2010-06-01.
  4. ^ Schulman, Henry (May 9, 2009). "Molina sits for another Zito start". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved 2009-05-13.
  5. ^ "Barry Zito pitches Giants to win over Dodgers". Yahoo! Sports. 2008-11-19. Retrieved 2009-07-14.
  6. ^ "Major League Baseball Hitting Stats, 2009". MLB.com. Retrieved 2009-05-13.
  7. ^ Ostler, Scott (May 14, 2009). "Despite pratfall, Sandoval is a player". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved 2009-05-14.
  8. ^ Haft, Chris (May 20, 2009). "Free-swinging Giants eschew walks". MLB.com. Retrieved 2009-05-21.
  9. ^ Pentis, Andrew (June 24, 2009). "Controlling weight key to Sandoval's prowess". MLB.com. Retrieved 2009-06-26.
  10. ^ Haft, Chris (2009-07-09). "Sandoval gracious in Final Vote defeat". MLB.com. Retrieved 2009-07-14.
  11. ^ Leach, Matthew (2009-11-24). "Third time is charming for MVP Pujols". MLB.com. Retrieved 2009-11-24.
  12. ^ "Pablo Sandoval's Weight Loss Update". crazycrabbers.com. 2010-12-01. Retrieved 2011-04-04.
  13. ^ Baggarly, Andrew (2011-02-18). "Giants notebook: Pablo Sandoval weighs in at 240 pounds". Mercury News. Retrieved 2011-04-04.
  14. ^ Snyder, Matt (2009-11-12). "Pablo Sandoval and 'Operation Panda'". Mercury News. Retrieved 2012-02-22.
  15. ^ "MLB - San Francisco Giants/Colorado Rockies Box Score Thursday September 15, 2011 - Yahoo! Sports". Yahoo.
  16. ^ Kruth, Cash (2011-09-19). "Panda named NL Player of the Week". Retrieved 2012-02-22.
  17. ^ "Sandoval breaks Giants' early hit streak mark". MLB.com. 2012-04-26. Retrieved 2012-04-26.
  18. ^ http://www.catholicvoiceoakland.org/2010/11-22/inthisissue1.htm

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