Will the Kung Fu Panda be heading to the Bronx Zoo?
2014 Statistics: .279/.324/.415, 16 HR, 73 RBI, .323 wOBA, 111 wRC+
2015 Age: 29
Position: Third base
In a weak class of free agent hitters, Pablo Sandoval has set himself up for a nice payday this offseason. Signed by the Giants as a catcher out of Venezuela, he was converted over to third base permanently in 2009. He has been the model of consistency, putting up similar numbers in each of the last three seasons. His resume now includes three World Series rings, a World Series MVP, and two All-Star appearances before the age of 30.
Looking at the chart below, Sandoval has been a remarkably consistent hitter. While the numbers don’t jump out at you, he’s been a solid producer at a position of offensive weakness throughout the majors.
Year | Avg | OPS | HR | RBI | RC |
2012 | 0.283 | 0.789 | 12 | 63 | 59 |
2013 | 0.278 | 0.758 | 14 | 79 | 72 |
2014 | 0.279 | 0.739 | 16 | 73 | 77 |
Now using Baseball-Reference’s neutralized batting tool, I adjusted for the 2014 season, American League and Yankee Stadium as his home park. The improvement was substantial in all categories, with the exception of home runs. It was a little surprising to see that home runs only improved slightly during that time period using the bandbox in the Bronx as his home stadium.
Year | AVG | OPS | HR | RBI | RC |
2012 | 0.299 | 0.831 | 13 | 71 | 69 |
2013 | 0.296 | 0.806 | 16 | 91 | 85 |
2014 | 0.296 | 0.785 | 18 | 84 | 91 |
Looking at his spray chart, a few things things stand out. You’ll notice that he hits the ball to all fields when he hits from the left side of the plate, which he does 68% of the time. He has some opposite field power to right field as well.
Source: FanGraphs
The amount of ground balls he hits would normally be a concern because, for the most part, ground balls are outs. However, judging by the fact that many of his grounders reached the outfield, it would be interesting to see whether he's hitting the ball where they ain't or if his batted ball exit velocity is very high in comparison to the average player.
Sandoval's hit by zone chart shows that he also has possesses exceptional plate coverage, being able to reach far out of the strike zone and, not just make contact, but also collect a hit. Whether the pitch is thrown low or high, inside or outside, in or out of the zone, he has a tremendous ability to make a pitcher work.
Hits vs Righties:
The biggest concern in giving Sandoval a long-term deal would be his struggle to maintain an optimum playing weight. Should this become an issue again, his defense and health would surely suffer. There's no question he is a talented baseball player, however the one holdup might be come from his final contract length–it's going to be much too long for a player like him. The Yankees should actually be targeting Chase Headley as their Plan-A and ultimately try to avoid a long-term, $100 million+ contract with Pablo Sandoval, even if he's one of the best third baseman on the market.