Kuzul

“Panda” went on a much needed diet, and the effects are showing. Sandoval has come out on a tear, leading the team with a .440 average. He also leads the team with a.481 OBP and 11 hits. 

Sandoval, like a few Giants, may be playing this season with a chip on his shoulder after he was benched during the playoffs and didn’t contribute much. Sandoval had an average of .268 last season after hitting .330 in his first full major league season. 

Pablo only had 17 at-bats during the Giants magical playoff run. He hit a measly .176 during the playoffs and was 0-3 in the World Series. 

The Giants let Juan Uribe go to the Dodgers, after they refused to give him a 3-year contract. This meant that the Giants would need Panda to come back slimmer and ready to be a major contributor. 

Panda will hold down the fifth hole in the Giants lineup and will need to be huge this year as Buster Posey now has a reputation as a great hitter with good power. Panda has one home run and three RBI in seven games. 

Panda without a doubt is the Giants hottest hitter. Pablo has only one extra-base hit out of his 11 hits. Panda hit 13 home runs and had 63 RBIs last season. In his first full season, Sandoval had 25 home runs and 90 RBIs. 

If the Giants can get stats out of Panda like his first full season, the Giants will make the playoffs and go far. His defense looks better as he seems more agile now. The 24-year-old Panda is still young. Buster Posey is also 24, and this could create a great middle of the lineup for the Giants for years to come. 

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Mmmm…candy bar.

1. Used, serving, or working in several capacities as needed, especially

a. Prepared to play any of the smaller theatrical roles on short notice: a utility cast member.
b. Capable of playing as a substitute in any of several positions: a utility infielder.

Look at that. It’s in the dictionary!

SUPER:

a. Exceeding a norm: supersaturate.
b. Excessive in degree or intensity: supersubtle.
c. Containing a specified ingredient in an unusually high proportion: superphosphate.

That one’s in the dictionary, too.

Now, if we combine the two, we get super-utility, which, in the past couple years, has been a label applied to Sandoval (1B/3B/C), Mark DeRosa (1B/3B/SS/2B/LF), Juan Uribe (2B/3B/SS), and even Eugenio Velez (2B/OF/PH/really?).

We’ve seen how it worked out with Uribe (beautifully), especially last season. In Spring Training last year, Uribe didn’t even have a regular starting position, but it was known that he was going to be playing a lot.

Then Freddy Sanchez wasn’t ready for Opening Day, so Uribe played the first 14 games at second base, hitting .320 and driving in 11 runs. Then Edgar Renteria missed the month of May (and June), and Uribe took over at shortstop.

Then Pablo Sandoval decided that he didn’t like hitting anymore, and Uribe stepped in at third for awhile before going back to hitting homeruns from the shortstop position. In the playoffs, Uribe played third, paving the way for Renteria to win the World Series.

Read more »

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As stated in the previous Giants piece, readers will agree that the San Francisco Giants have taken more steps forward than other teams in their National League West Division.

Part II to this series will introduce three more reasons why the Giants can only improve their record from last season.

Part II to this series will introduce three more reasons why the Giants can only improve their record from last season.

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Pablo Sandoval was one of the most disappointing players in all of baseball last year. He went from posting a .330-79-25-90-5 line to a .268-61-13-63-3 one. His slugging percentage dropped from .556 to .409, his OPS from .943 to .732. In short, it was a disaster. Sure, he won a World Series ring, but that did no give his fantasy owners any solace.

Things should turn around for Kung Fu Panda in 2011 though. He has lost nearly 40 pounds in the offseason. He is by no means a scrawny little thing, but losing that weight should pay big dividends. He should be quicker on the basepaths. He should be much better at avoiding fatigue. He still has enough mass to hit for power.

Not only did he lose a bunch of weight, but he should be more sound mentally and emotionally. Last year Panda went through a bitter divorce. It’s hard to measure how much of a toll it took, but Sandoval struggled with it. Shortly after the divorce was final, Panda had easily his best month of the season. He hit .312 in August with six home runs and 16 RBI.

His struggles would return in September as he hit .207, but I’m convinced he’ll be more prepared mentally and physically in 2011. He also worked with Barry Bonds this winter to improve his approach at the plate. Say what you want about Barry, but he was one of the fiercest batters in baseball history.

You won’t have to use as early a pick on Panda either this year. His average draft position, according to Mock Draft Central, is 139, which is 12th highest among third basemen. Given that the position is so shallow, getting a player who can hit .300-plus with 20-plus home runs in the 12th round is an absolute steal.

There are few players that can bounce back as far as Panda can. I’m sold on the rebound. How about you?

Click here to enter the 2011 Fantasy Baseball Team Name Contest.

Also check out:

• 2011 Fantasy Baseball Profiles
• 2011 Fantasy First Basemen Rankings
• 2011 Fantasy A.L. Only First Basemen Rankings
• 2011 Fantasy N.L. Only First Basemen Rankings
• 2011 Fantasy Second Basemen Rankings
• 2011 Fantasy Third Basemen Rankings
• 2011 Fantasy Shortstop Rankings
• 2011 Fantasy Catcher Rankings
• 2011 Fantasy Outfielder Rankings
• 2011 Fantasy Starting Pitcher Rankings
• 2011 Fantasy Closer Rankings

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Panda is coming off a year in which he took a considerable step backwards. Through his first two seasons in the big leagues he had consistently performed offensively:

These stats show a player who is very consistent from a balls-in-play and batting average standpoint. Quite frankly, someone who is drafting a third baseman after the first three or four rounds would love this type of production.

In 2010 someone changed the tune and forgot to tell Sandoval:

Definitely a steep fall for a player who fantasy owners had good expectations for heading into the season. Unfortunately, the Round Mound of Pound had continuing expanding in size throughout his tenure in the big leagues. I guess it does become harder to get to first base when you’re trying to drag almost 280 pounds down the base line.

This off-season Panda was able to slim down to 240 after undergoing arduous work outs and will enter the season with a renewed sense of confidence. This is roughly the same weight he was at during his breakout 2009 campaign. Drawing motivation from watching his team win the world series while he was on the bench, expect to see Kung Fu Panda back in the groove in 2011.

2011 Fantasy Forecast: 80 R, 25 HR, 90 RBI, .315 Avg

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San Francisco Giants third baseman Pablo Sandoval hit a home run Saturday on his first swing in his first batting practice at this year’s spring training.

After taking the league by storm in 2009 with a .330 average, 25 home runs and 90 RBI, Sandoval’s 2010 campaign was one of the year’s biggest disappointments across the majors. All season long, Sandoval battled with weight issues and off-the-field problems that carried over to the field.

Not only did his hitting ability disappear, his range in the field shrunk to the point that management did not even trust him. As the Giants marched to the World Series, Sandoval rode the bench, unable to make a contribution. Management made it clear that he would be sent down to Triple-A Fresno if things didn’t change over the offseason.

Now, down 38 pounds from last season to 240, Sandoval enters the season eager to show his “Kung Fu Panda” days were no fluke. Lots of pressure rides on the 24-year-old Venezuelan this season. Here are 10 Ways Pablo Sandoval Could Still Get Demoted During the 2011 season.

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Is there such thing as a World Series hangover? Do the Giants need to add talent in order to bolster their chances at a repeat? Is Pablo Sandoval the guy that might make all the difference?

These questions and many others will eventually define the season for the Giants in 2011, similar to almost every other team’s quest for the trophy.

San Francisco will just have to wait until all the pieces fall into place before an accurate judgment can be made. Until then, lets look at some pitfalls that may be a deterrent in the Patriots-like repeat journey that is the upcoming 2011 baseball campaign. 

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“Athlete” and “in shape” are often thought of as going together. It’s part of the requirement, right?

You can’t be one without the other.

Unless, of course, you are a major league baseball player. Then being fat is okay.

Maybe it’s part of the appeal millions of Americans still have to what was once the national pastime, but baseball is a sport that can be played by the short or tall, fast or slow and in-shape or out of shape.

However, some players have taken the inherent advantage of being able to coast to a whole other level. There are some diamond stars that believe it’s not just about what you do on the field, but how much you can eat off of it.

Maybe it’s the constant travel, or the need to unwind before and after the games, but these 25 players could use a little more time at the gym.

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Spring training is almost here.

The sights and sounds of baseball are soon to come, and the Giants are prepared to defend their title with much of the same formula as 2010.  Pablo Sandoval, however, was not a part of the 2010 formula.  To say 2010 was a “disappointment” for Sandoval is an understatement.

While the Giants defied the odds in the postseason, Sandoval was left looking from the bench during the World Series.  The Kung-Fu Panda knew he had none to blame but himself, and left Giants fans wondering if they would ever see the 2009 Sandoval who nearly led them to the playoffs.

Enter 2011.

After an offseason of intense conditioning, the Pablo is back looking sleeker than ever.  Sandoval refuses to disclose his total weight loss, but he looks noticeably trimmer in his twitter photos.

Could the Kung-Fu Panda be back to reinforce a lineup in need of reinforcing?  The Giants and their fans hope so.

If the Giants hope to successfully defend their title, Sandoval’s resurgence is a key component.  His resurgent bat would compliment Aubrey Huff and Buster Posey in the middle of the lineup:

Andres Torres, CF

Freddy Sanchez, 2B

Buster Posey, C

Aubrey Huff, 1B

Miguel Tejada, SS

Pablo Sandoval, 3B

Mark DeRosa, LF

Cody Ross, RF

Sandoval must work his way into the middle of the order before he can be projected to bat there given his dismal 2010.

If Sandoval does indeed reemerge in 2011, don’t expect to see his 2009 stats that consisted of a .330 average, 25 home runs, and 90 runs driven in.  It’s easy for a fan to expect those numbers when they hear “resurgence”.  Expecting such numbers given Sandoval’s 2010 season is simply unfair.

A .300 average, 15-20 home runs, and 75-85 runs driven in is more reasonable.  Even these numbers are a vast improvement over the 2010 Sandoval and Giants management would be thrilled to get such numbers.

The Giants also hope for a much more agile Sandoval defensively.  Sandoval’s defense was a major factor in his benching during the postseason; he was simply not making the plays he was supposed to make.  Panda’s defense also declined over the course of last season, further complicating matters.

If the Giants are to have any hope of defending their title against other National League powerhouses such as Philadelphia, Pablo Sandoval’s defensive and offensive resurgence would put them on that brink.

With his recent weight loss, the return of the Kung-Fu Panda seems more likely.

Expect to see just that in 2011.

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Coming off their first World Series championship in 56 years, the San Francisco Giants are flying high. They return the bulk of their squad and aim to make another championship run in 2011.

How do the Giants size up heading into spring? Read on to find out.

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