Pablo Sandoval, of course, has made big headlines of late, as the conspicuous Giants third baseman showed up at camp having lost an official 38 pounds. After years of having people get on him for his conditioning, Sandoval committed himself to a healthy offseason, and now has a lot of people predicting a significant bounceback season at the plate.
Pablo Sandoval Has Lost A Bunch Of Weight Before
While that’s super exciting, it’s worth remembering that this isn’t the first time we’ve heard about Sandoval achieving considerable weight loss. From last March:
The Giants athletic trainer Dave Groeschner said the 5-foot-11 Sandoval arrived in spring camp at 262 pounds, some 15 pounds lighter than his 2009 playing weight. Sandoval said he had lost at least five pounds since then, though he still appears hefty.
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Bochy said Sandoval was down to 253 pounds, but he does not plan to provide daily updates on his No. 3 hitter’s weight.
Now, Sandoval obviously lost a lot more weight this time than last time. He seems to be more committed to the program and better about his diet, and where, during the 2010 season, he gained a lot of that weight back, there’s no guarantee the same thing happens in 2011. Sandoval may be able to keep all or most of that weight off.
It’s important, though, to remain reasonable. Sandoval may bounce back in a big way at the plate. He may improve in the field, too. Being in better shape can’t possibly hurt him. But the last time he lost a lot of weight he went on to struggle, and that’s something people have to keep in mind. That Pablo Sandoval’s eating wheat bread now doesn’t automatically mean his numbers are going to go up, because while his weight was probably an issue, it was never his biggest problem. Sandoval’s biggest problem has always been that he’s way too aggressive, and unless he’s suddenly able to deduce more proficiently what’s a ball and what’s a strike, he’s unlikely to re-establish himself as a star.
The weight loss should help his defense, and it should help his longevity. His discipline? I don’t know what could help his discipline. The changes suggest a commitment to getting better in all areas, but if developing plate discipline were easy, more players would do it.
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