Pablo Sandoval has spent his entire Major League Baseball career hitting from both sides of the plate, but the 28-year-old may now look to hit from the left side exclusively.
Boston Red Sox manager John Farrell told Tim Britton of the Providence Journal prior to Monday’s game against the Minnesota Twins that the team has talked with Sandoval about the switch, just one day after the former World Series MVP hit left-handed against Los Angeles Angels left-hander Cesar Ramos:
We’ve talked off and on about it over the last probably three weeks or so. He’s the one that’s got to feel most comfortable doing it. It just so happened [Sunday] there was a left-hander with a high overhand slot, so it wasn’t like a low three-quarter lefty that’s going to give him a completely different look. Still, he’s got to feel comfortable to go from that side of the plate, if in fact he does.
Sandoval has gotten off to a slow start in his first season with the Red Sox, hitting .266/.335/.406 with five home runs in 40 games overall. However, the numbers against left-handed pitching are alarming, as he has a slash line of .071/.114/.071 in 42 at-bats, per Baseball-Reference.com.
Farrell did say Sandoval would be included in the conversation before any permanent decision is made. The Red Sox have a recent history with switch-hitters who stopped, as Shane Victorino went exclusively right-handed late in the 2013 season.
Sandoval’s career OPS against left-handed pitching is 181 points lower than against right-handed pitching, so it’s certainly something he and the Red Sox should entertain. The Red Sox are off to a slow 21-24 start this season and need to find answers from within or risk another losing season two years removed from winning a championship.
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