The decision for the Giants to bring back Pablo Sandoval midway through the 2017 season was a somewhat shocking one, considering both the way he left the club, and his massive struggles during his time in Boston. Sandoval ended up playing in 47 games for the Giants last season, and wasn’t great, finishing with a .638 OPS, after getting off to a hot start.
Sandoval, 31, will again be with the Giants in Spring Training. Despite his struggles, Sandoval is a lock to make the 25-man roster, and may see the field nearly every single day, according to broadcaster Mike Krukow.
“I think it’s obvious the role he’s going to have this year,” Krukow told Murph & Mac. “He’s no longer going to be a starting player, but he’s going to play. You’ll see him just about every day if not on the field, he’ll be a pinch hitter, and he’s just kind’ve an insurance program should somebody go down on the corner, whether it be Belt or Longoria going down an extended period of time with an injury, he will play. But he knows the role and he’s very, very happy with it.
“He can do a lot of things for you. He can be an experienced bench player coming off and pinch hitting late in the ballgame. Plus the other thing; the day he walked into camp the very first time, and what he’s continued to be throughout his entire career, is a hack. And hacks are tough to pitch to, because they don’t have a strike zone. They will take balls that are literally three inches off the ground and hit them and balls that are literally three inches above his head and hit them. So those guys are tough to pitch to, especially late in the ballgame.”
For nearly all of his career, Sandoval has been an everyday player, but Krukow says with everything that happened in Boston, Sandoval won’t have a problem taking a lesser role.
“Absolutely, only because the road that he’s taken to get to this point in his career. I don’t know how many opportunities there are for him away from the Giants. And he’s going to have to make those opportunities, and he’s going to make those with production. If that means you’re going to have to do it as a part-time player, then that’s what extends his career. What if this guy was a great pinch hitter? I mean we’ve seen guys that are great pinch hitters take their careers into their 40s in regards to age. He could be one of those guys. I just think it’s a given he’s gonna make this club and it’s a given he’s going to make a contribution.”
Listen to the full interview below, to hear Krukow on Sandoval, start from the beginning.
