Sandoval takes ‘utilityman’ to the next level
CHICAGO — Pablo Sandoval was stoked. Not only was he going onto the field to take grounders at second base, but he was going to use one of shortstop Brandon Crawford’s gloves.
“I’ve got a Gold Glove right here,” Sandoval said aloud for anyone nearby to hear, including Crawford. “Oh, baby.”
Coming off two losses in Houston, the Giants will begin a three-game series against the Cubs at Wrigley Field on Friday, their latest step in a trying season that has been detoured by key injuries and rotation woes.
An overlooked factor has been the presence of
Sandoval, who has resurrected his career and reinvented his place in the game as a utilityman, a valuable resource for manager Bruce Bochy, whose use of the 31-year-old has been innovative.
Released by the Red Sox in July after a miserable 2½ seasons in Boston, Sandoval rejoined the Giants in August and won a tryout in 2018 even though third baseman Evan Longoria was acquired to play Sandoval’s position.
This year, Sandoval has gotten starts at third, first and designated hitter, caught pregame bullpen sessions as the emergency catcher and — lest we forget — pitched a perfect inning in an unforgettable April 28 appearance against the Dodgers.
Sandoval’s a batting coach, too, apparently. In late April, he and Gregor Blanco noticed a difference in Crawford’s swing — the struggling shortstop was holding his hands lower than in the past — and Crawford made the adjustment and has been the majors’ hottest hitter in May.
Sandoval’s latest assignment, which can only expand his versatility, is working out at second base as an insurance policy with the Giants down two men at the position, Joe Panik and Alen Hanson.
“You have to do what you have to do in a game to help your team,” Sandoval said. “I’m taking groundballs at second base. We’ve got a couple of guys out. In different situations in the game, you use your bench guys, and I’m flexible to do different things.”
Sandoval actually played one big-league game at second, replacing injured Boston infielder Dustin Pedroia in the eighth inning April 21, 2017.
Sandoval is no Panik, of course, and not all the club’s decision-makers are on board with Sandoval playing second, but Bochy’s not ruling out the possibility, especially in a lategame double switch.
“He’s working hard to make himself available to play anywhere, making himself more versatile, willing to do some catching and taking groundballs at second,” Bochy said. “Pablo loves to play, and that shows.”
That’s a key point. In the wake of the dismal Boston experience, Sandoval is his old happy-golucky self who’s singing and dancing in the clubhouse and bringing a positive vibe onto the field.
“I’m enjoying it, having fun,” he said. “When you have fun, you can do a lot of things on the field. At end of the day, you have to take the job seriously. Have fun, but take the job seriously.”
Another key point is the Sandoval-Bochy relationship. Remember, after Sandoval joined Boston, he had good words for only two Giants, Bochy and Hunter Pence, and still looks to Bochy as a father figure.
“It’s true,” Sandoval said. “When you’ve got a good relationship with a manager, it’s special.”
Said Bochy: “I had him when he was young. He’s somebody that I’ve always admired with the passion he has for the game.”
This wasn’t imaginable when the Giants and Sandoval severed ties after the 2014 World Series, Sandoval voicing his displeasure with how negotiations went and making pointed comments about the organization that left many in the organization thinking “good riddance.”
When Sandoval struggled in Boston with his game and conditioning after signing a five-year, $95 million deal, it reassured the Giants they did the right thing by not re-signing him. But when he became available last summer, the Giants jumped at the opportunity to bring him back.
On the road to a 98-loss season, they saw him as an inexpensive (the Giants pay the league minimum while the Red Sox pay the rest of the contract) reclamation project, and Sandoval returned with a new attitude and willingness to do whatever Bochy and the Giants ask.
Sandoval’s not the hitter he was in his first go-round, though he was in the .270s late in the last homestand before struggling in Houston, along with many Giants, and is down to .236.
Still, Bochy likes to use him to pinch hit late in games or fill lineup spots when Buster Posey or Longoria sit out or, in a rare moment, take the mound, which happened when the Giants were getting blown out in a doubleheader opener and needed to save the bullpen for the nightcap.
“I didn’t even think I could be that good at that moment, throwing strikes, painting pitches, throwing a breaking ball,” Sandoval said. “Was it funny? Yes. I wish I could do it again, but we’ve got a great bullpen, great guys out there who can do the job.”
Still, Sandoval is on call just in case. That’s his role.