Pablo Sandoval Returning To The Giants Was A Must

Overtime Heroics Editorial

2046 days ago

Pablo Sandoval is an enigma. The athletic big man with the ability to fly and fling himself all over the diamond with the quickness of a Kung Fu master while being shaped like a panda. This lead to one of the better nicknames in recent memory “Kung Fu Panda” or just “Panda” for short. The Panda has been a fan favorite amongst Giants fans for more than a decade. Ignoring a brief, extremely unsuccessful stint with the Red Sox, Sandoval has spent the majority of his career in a Giants uniform, including the last two seasons. Earlier this week the Giants re-signed Pablo Sandoval to a minor league deal, ignoring the fact that Sandoval had Tommy John surgery at the beginning of September. Let’s look at the various reasons why bringing back the Panda was more than necessary.

Pablo Sandoval Was Valuable In 2019

This is the most obvious reason for Sandoval’s return to the Giants. In 2019, Sandoval hit to the tune of a .268 AVG, .313 On-Base %, and a .507 Slugging %. This all came with Sandoval’s career-high 41.4% hard contact %. Sandoval was good for a 1.0 WAR last year according to Fangraphs. Those numbers are very solid but are even more impressive when you factor in Sandoval’s pinch-hitting ability. As a pinch-hitter in 2019, Sandoval batted .375 AVG/.400 OBP/.667 SLG as a pinch hitter with a .434 wOBA and a 174 wRC+ in 48 at-bats. Anyone who has played the game of baseball understands that pinch-hitting is one of the hardest things to do. Sandoval was pretty good in 2019, but what about 2020?

Pablo Sandoval Will Be Valuable In 2020

Sandoval’s 2019 was fantastic but 2020 should be different. Fangraphs currently projects Sandoval for a .246-.250 AVG/.300-.303 OBP/.435-.448 SLG which is about league average. The Giants could live with that number from a switch-hitting pinch-hitter who has shown he can get it done in that role. Ironically Sandoval does provide value as a pitcher. Not true value but comedic value. Sandoval has pitched one inning in each of the last two years and has not allowed a hit and only one baserunner. There’s value in watching a position player pitch in a blowout and Sandoval is the provider of that value. All joking aside the most important role that the Panda will play is a veteran leader. Sandoval is known for being a fantastic clubhouse guy, upbeat, and positive. That will be key in keeping the young guys straight when the Giants inevitably begin a long string of losing.

Nostalgia Exists

Believe it or not, nostalgia is a real thing and the Giants will be hammering the hell out of it in 2020. Nostalgia is a nice distraction from losing and the Giants have plenty to go around. 2020 will be the 10 year anniversary of the 2010 World Series team. That championship was the first in San Francisco Giants history and was the moment those scrappy Giants finally got one. It was also the beginning of a dynasty (yes, it was dynasty) as it was the first in what would become three World Series wins in just five years. Guess who was on every single one of those World Series teams? Yep, Pablo Sandoval. Who’s the guy who hit three home runs in the first game of the 2012 World Series, two of which were off Justin Verlander? The Panda man. Who caught the final out in 2014 to seal the Giants 3rd title? I hope you’ve figured it out by now. The Giants will get a nice kick of nostalgia this year and maybe it will mask what will likely be an otherwise unwatchable year.

We Get to Say Goodbye

It’s very rare in any sport that a player gets to say goodbye to the team he spent most of his career with. Pablo Sandoval will get that chance. If Sandoval can crack the team out of Spring Training then he will get a chance to spend at least one more year with the team that signed him as an amateur free agent out of Venezuela in 2003. The team he spent most of his elite years with and the team where he was a key part of winning three World Series Championships. This will be his chance to go out in front of his home crowd and it will be our chance to scream at the top of our lungs for one of the most beloved personalities in Giants’ history.

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