Pablo Sandoval, Third Base


Date of Birth: 8/11/1986
Birthplace: Puerto Cabello, Venezuela
Nickname: The Panda

Pablo Sandoval, third baseman, made his first appearance in a major league game with the San Francisco Giants in August of 2008. In 41 games in 2008, he batted .345 with 3 home runs, 10 doubles and 24 RBIs. The following year, he batted .330 and had 189 hits, 44 doubles, and 25 home runs. Although he didn't play as well in 2010 or 2011, he excelled in the 2012 World Series and he won the World Series MVP award. In the 2012 postseason, Sandoval batted .364 and he had 24 hits, 5 doubles, 6 home runs, and 13 RBIs.

In 2013, Sandoval batted .278 with 146 hits and 27 doubles in 141 games. He finished the 2014 season with 164 hits, 26 doubles, 16 home runs, 73 RBIs, and a .279 batting average in 157 games. In the postseason, he had 26 hits, 7 doubles, 5 RBIs, and a .366 batting average in 71 at-bats in 17 games.

On November 24, 2014, Sandoval agreed to a five-year, $100 million contract with the Boston Red Sox. He finished the 2015 season with 115 hits, 25 doubles, 47 RBIs, and a .245 batting average. As a third baseman in 123 games, he made 200 assists, 19 double plays, 78 putouts, and 15 errors.

Sandoval spent almost the entire 2016 season on the DL, playing in just three games with the Red Sox.

Sandoval was released by the Red Sox on July 19, 2017. Three days later, he agreed to return to the Giants on a minor league contract. He played in just 32 games with the Red Sox and 47 games with the Giants in 2017. He finished with 57 hits, 11 doubles, 32 RBIs, 53 strikeouts to 16 walks, and a .220 batting average. Defensively, he played 9 games at first base, 1 game at second base, and 67 games at third base.

Sandoval played in 92 games with the Giants in 2018. He had 57 hits, 40 RBIs, and a .248 batting average. Defensively, he played 24 games at first base, 2 games at second base, and 36 games at third base. He pitched in one game.

Sandoval had Tommy John surgery on September 4, 2019. He finished the 2019 season with 73 hits, 23 doubles, 14 home runs, 41 RBIs, 67 strikeouts to 18 walks, and a .263 batting average in 108 games. Defensively, he played 23 games at first base and 45 games at third base. He pitched in one game.

Sandoval became a free agent on October 31, 2019. He signed a minor league contract with the Giants on January 31, 2020. He was released by the Giants on September 10th, and he signed with the Atlanta Braves three days later. He finished the 2020 season with 18 hits and a .214 batting average in 33 games with the Giants and 1 game with the Braves. Defensively, he played 5 games at third base and 8 games at first base. He was the DH for the Giants in 14 games. He had three at-bats in three postseason games with the Braves and he had no hits.

Sandoval elected free agency on October 28, 2020. He signed a minor league contract with the Atlanta Braves on January 23, 2021. He was traded to the Cleveland Indians on July 30, 2021, and released the same day. He finished the 2021 season with a .178 batting average in 69 games with the Braves. He also played in the Venezuelan Winter League and the Caribbean Series in 2021.

Sandoval signed with a Mexican League team on February 18, 2022. He was released on January 19, 2023.

Career batting statistics for Sandoval through 2021 include:

  • 1,380 games played
  • 1,279 hits
  • 262 doubles
  • 153 home runs
  • 639 RBIs
  • 757 strikeouts to 357 walks
  • .278 batting average

Career fielding statistics for Sandoval at third base through 2021 include:

  • 1,050 games played
  • 1,763 assists
  • 141 double plays
  • 632 putouts
  • 106 errors
  • .958 fielding percentage

Sources for Information
Wikipedia - Pablo Sandoval
ESPN Sports - Pablo Sandoval