Pablo Emilio Sandoval Reyes (born August 11, 1986) is a Venezuelan-American professional baseball third baseman who is a free agent. He has previously played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the San Francisco Giants, Boston Red Sox, and Atlanta Braves and most recently for the Staten Island FerryHawks of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball. He stands 5 feet 10 inches (1.78 m) tall, and weighs 268 pounds (122 kg). Nicknamed "Kung Fu Panda", Sandoval is a two-time All-Star and has won three World Series championships with the Giants and one with the Braves. He hit three home runs in Game 1 of the 2012 World Series, becoming the fourth player to hit three home runs in a World Series game, leading to his being named that year's World Series Most Valuable Player (MVP). During the offseason, Sandoval plays for the Navegantes del Magallanes of the Venezuelan Professional Baseball League (VPBL).
In 2002, Sandoval was signed by the San Francisco Giants. Sandoval worked his way through the minor leagues and debuted with the Giants in 2008, batting .345 in 41 games. Capable of playing first base, third base, and catcher, he became the Giants' starting third baseman in 2009, ceasing to catch that year and playing first base only occasionally. In 2009, Sandoval finished second in All-Star Final Vote balloting, batting .330 with 25 home runs and 90 runs batted in (RBIs) in his first full season in the majors. However, Sandoval struggled in 2010 and was benched during the playoffs for the 2010 World Series, which the Giants won. He lost weight before 2011 and hit .315 with 23 home runs in 117 games. Injuries limited Sandoval to 109 games in 2012, but he was selected to his second-straight All-Star Game. Then, in Game 1 of the 2012 World Series, Sandoval joined Babe Ruth, Reggie Jackson, and Albert Pujols as the only players to hit three home runs in a World Series Game. For his contributions, Sandoval was named the World Series Most Valuable Player, as the Giants swept the Detroit Tigers. In 2013, he appeared in 141 games, batting .278, with 14 home runs, and 79 RBIs.
A free agent after the 2014 season, Sandoval signed a five-year contract with the Red Sox that offseason. Due to poor performance, the Red Sox released him in 2017. Sandoval then re-signed with the Giants, but the Red Sox remained responsible for paying his salary through the end of the 2019 season.
Pablo Emilio Sandoval Reyes was born on August 11, 1986, to Pablo Sr. and Amelia Sandoval in Puerto Cabello, Carabobo, Venezuela. He grew up an avid baseball fan, following the careers of Omar Vizquel and Andrés Galarraga. He practiced baseball in an empty two-car garage with his older brother, Michael. His favorite players were Omar Vizquel (later his teammate on the Giants) and Andrés Galarraga. He was born left-handed, but wanted to be able to play shortstop like Vizquel. Thus, at nine, he taught himself to throw right-handed as well. He can still throw with both hands, but throws right-handed during games.
Sandoval received notice from scouts in 2002, when he went to the Dominican Republic for a scouting tournament. A scout for the Texas Rangers told Sandoval he would come to Venezuela to sign him, but he did not show up. After two weeks, Ciro Villalobos, a scout for the San Francisco Giants, offered Sandoval a contract, and he signed. Sandoval began his professional career as a catcher in 2004 with the rookie AZL Giants, hitting .266 with no home runs and 26 runs batted in (RBI) in 177 at bats.
In 2005, he was used almost entirely as a third baseman while playing for the Single-A short season Salem-Keizer Volcanoes. He hit .330 (second in the Northwest League to Mike Mooney's .342) with three home runs and 50 RBIs (one behind Luis Valbuena's total). His batting average slumped in 2006 to .265. He had one home run and 49 RBIs with the Single-A Augusta GreenJackets of the South Atlantic League that year, splitting time between first and third base. In 2007, he played for the Single-A advanced San Jose Giants, hitting .287 with 11 homers and 52 RBIs. That season, he was used as a catcher and first baseman, and he helped San Jose win the California League championship.
In 2008, he spent time with two minor league teams, San Jose and the Double-A Connecticut Defenders of the Eastern League, 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 eight home runs and 37 RBIs. In total, he hit .350 with 20 home runs and 96 RBIs in 2008.
San Francisco Giants (2008–2014)
Sandoval was called up to the Majors on August 13, 2008. He debuted the next day, going 0-for-3 in a 7–4 loss to the Houston Astros. In his first Major League Baseball (MLB) plate appearance, he hit an RBI sacrifice fly. He got his first hit against Mike Hampton in the second inning of his next game, August 16, on his way to going 3-for-5 in an 11–5 loss to the Atlanta Braves. In 41 games in 2008, he hit .345 with three home runs and 24 RBI, striking out 14 times and grounding into six double plays in 154 at-bats. He hit his first MLB home run on August 27 off Liván Hernández in a 4–1 triumph over the Colorado Rockies.
On defense, Sandoval was used at first base, at third base, and at catcher. Teammate Barry Zito gave Sandoval the nickname "Kung Fu Panda" (after the then-recent movie); in a Zito win on September 19, the rotund Sandoval scored a run against the Los Angeles Dodgers by acrobatically jumping over the tag of catcher Danny Ardoin.
Sandoval made the Giants' Opening Day roster out of spring training in 2009 as the Giants' starting third baseman and backup catcher. He served as a personal catcher for Zito at the beginning of the year. On May 12, Sandoval hit his first walk-off home run against Joe Beimel to beat the Washington Nationals 9–7. Following an elbow injury to Sandoval in May, the Giants called up Eli Whiteside to serve as the backup catcher on May 24; since then, Sandoval has not been used at all as a catcher. 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.
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.'" 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. He was edged by Shane Victorino of the Philadelphia Phillies on the last day of voting.
On July 6, Sandoval hit his first career grand slam at home at AT&T Park against Sean West of the visiting Florida Marlins in a 5–4 victory. He hit his first home run into McCovey Cove on July 30, the 50th anniversary of the MLB Debut of Willie McCovey, who was in attendance. Sandoval said after the game, "It's special right now. I hit McCovey Cove and McCovey's here. He talks to me every time he's in the clubhouse." Sandoval set a record for most hits by a Giants switch-hitter in a single season with 189 in 2009.
Sandoval finished the 2009 season with 25 home runs and 90 RBI in 153 games. He had the second-highest batting average among NL hitters, at .330 (behind Hanley Ramírez's .342), and finished seventh in NL MVP voting. Due to his service time in 2008, he was ineligible for the NL Rookie of the Year Award, which went to Chris Coghlan.
During the offseason, the Giants had Sandoval work on losing weight. Sandoval, however, saw a sophomore slump in 2010. He struggled all season to come close to his 2009 totals and saw himself dropped to eighth in the batting order in a game on June 5. One bright spot in the season came on August 12, when Pat Burrell and Sandoval hit back-to-back home runs against Randy Wells of the Cubs in an 8–7 victory. Sandoval's home run snapped a 46-game home run drought. Sandoval finished the season with a .268 batting average, 13 home runs, and 63 RBI. He saw his batting average, as a right-handed hitter, plummet over 150 points from his 2009 batting average; he dropped from .379 to .227. His batting average with runners in scoring position also dropped during this period, from .301 in 2009 to .208 in 2010. Overweight and unproductive, he was benched during the 2010 National League Championship Series for Juan Uribe and limited to three at-bats in the 2010 World Series. However, Sandoval earned his first World Series ring as the Giants won their first World Series since 1954, securing the championship in five games over the Texas Rangers.