Props to you, Panda
Look good, but now show you can play
FORT MYERS — “You look great, Panda!” hollered a snowbird as Pablo Sandoval signed autographs yesterday morning along the fence on one of the back fields at Fenway South.
And there is no doubt about that: Pablo Sandoval does look great. This isn’t like last spring, when various Red Sox officials dispensed all kinds of Fake News about how Pablo worked out all winter, dropped the weight, 17 percent body fat, blah, blah, blah.
No, this time it’s real news. Pablo. Looks. Great. Got that? For that, props to Panda. But “the game is hard, man,” as David Ortiz liked to say back in the day. And in that spirit it’s not unfair to apply some healthy skepticism to Sandoval’s healthy return to the Red Sox after appearing in just three games last year before undergoing season-ending shoulder surgery.
Now he’s back, a year older, a lot lighter and still looking to contribute something to the Red Sox other than the signature on his paychecks.
This isn’t being negative. This is being real. Pablo Sandoval himself acknowledged as much yesterday when he said, “I have to prove everything.
“Especially when you’re coming from an off year after the injuries and you come back and you have to prove a lot of things to the fans, to the team, to your teammates, to the sport. You have to prove a lot of things out there on the field.”
Yes, Sandoval answered all kinds of questions during a media meet-and-greet on the shady bench behind JetBlue Park.
And, yes, absolutely, he brought an everyman’s perspective to his situation when he was asked what inspired him to trim those unwanted pounds and seek to be a healthier man.
“My family . . . my baby,” he said. “I want to play eight more years to show my son, so he can see his dad play growing up.”
With that one answer, Sandoval could have been the sedentary accountant who needs to drop a few. He could have been the wheezing fork-lift operator trying to kick a two-packa-day habit. He could have been the software engineer who needs to stop hitting that corner bar on the way home.
So, yes, we all hear you, Pablo Sandoval.
But there are two nagging questions that, for now, cannot be answered:
Will Pablo Sandoval keep the weight off? And does he still have the athletic skills to provide competent defense at third base?
Let’s discuss the weight first. Sandoval spoke of his offseason training regime, how he would awaken at 5:30 in the morning, how he would work out half the day, how he even added boxing to the mix.
“I’ve got a program that I’ve been following in the offseason that I’m going to continue to follow during the season,” he said. “The training staff and the program that I’ve been doing, I’m going to keep doing during the season. I’m going to follow all the stuff. I’m just going to stay focused and play baseball. That’s what I’m going to do.”
And that’s great, save for this: The offseason and the regular season are two entirely different beasts. The regular season is a 162-game grind. The regular season is late nights. Charter flights with dizzying food options. Five-star hotels with 24-hour room service.
The regular season is 81 road games. The road is boredom. The road is looking for ways to relieve that boredom. The road. Man. “It’s going to be different because of the schedule, the travel,” Sandoval said, “but the program is going to be there. It’s not going to be as hard as I’ve done in the offseason, but I’m going to continue to work and get the program done.” So there. But the Sox will need to keep an eye on that.
And playing third? This is tricky and dangerous, for the simple reason that there’s no other place to put him. Mitch Moreland was brought in to play first. And take a look at Hanley Ramirez: He wants David Ortiz’ leadership role and he wants his locker, but mostly he wants Big Papi’s DH job. And for the most part he now owns it.
Translation: Even if Pablo Sandoval hits, he can’t play for the Red Sox if he can’t play third base.
“I’ve come here ready to play baseball,” Sandoval said. “That’s my main goal, to prove to my teammates I can be the third baseman for the Boston Red Sox.”
For the past seventh months, Pablo Sandoval watched his weight.
For the next seven weeks, everyone will be watching and waiting. If he’s anything close to his old Giants days, the Red Sox have yet another powerful weapon in their lineup.
If not, he’s a hugely expensive bench guy. If that.