Pablo Sandoval is headed to the Mexican League for the 2022 season. The Acereros de Monclova announced this evening (Spanish-language link) that they’ve signed the two-time MLB All-Star.
Sandoval, a client of Beverly Hills Sports Council, has appeared in parts of fourteen MLB seasons. He made his big league debut with the Giants in 2008, and he’d established himself as an everyday player by the following season. The switch-hitting Sandoval hit a remarkable .330/.387/.556 across 633 plate appearances during his age-22 campaign, finishing seventh in NL MVP balloting that year. That showing cemented him as a key member of a burgeoning core that would go on to win three of the following five World Series titles.
There’s no doubt Sandoval was a huge part of that success. He appeared in at least 108 regular season games each season between 2010-14, posting above-average offensive numbers (by measure of wRC+) in every season other than 2010. The Kung Fu Panda again earned some down ballot MVP support in 2011, and he was downright excellent during the Giants’ 2012 and 2014 postseason runs. He claimed World Series MVP honors in the former season, thanks to an 8-16 showing in a sweep over the Tigers. And while he didn’t receive any postseason awards in 2014, his 12-28 performance in that year’s World Series helped San Francisco narrowly defeat the Royals in a tightly-contested seven-game battle.
Following the 2014 season, Sandoval signed a five-year, $95MM contract with the Red Sox. That proved a sizable misstep for then Boston-GM Ben Cherington, as Sandoval’s production tanked fairly quickly thereafter. He hit only .245/.292/.366 in his first season with the Sox. That proved to be his final year as an everyday player, as he hasn’t topped 300 plate appearances in any season since. The Venezuela native missed almost all of 2016 recovering from a labrum injury, then got off to a terrible start to the 2017 campaign. Boston released him midway through that season, and he returned to the Giants in free agency.
By 2018, Sandoval reinvented himself as a capable bench bat and part-time corner infielder. He played with San Francisco until 2020, then hooked on with the Braves late in that season and made their playoff roster. He re-signed with Atlanta on a minor league pact last winter and broke camp with the club. While he got off to a nice start as a designated pinch-hitter, Sandoval saw his production turn downward by May. He was traded to the Indians at last year’s deadline, with his contract included in the deal that sent Eddie Rosario to Atlanta to offset some of Rosario’s salary. Cleveland released Sandoval immediately and he sat out the remainder of the season, although he did collect a World Series ring when the Braves went on to win the championship.
Sandoval returned to the diamond this winter. After putting up impressive numbers in the Venezuelan Winter League, he’ll head to Mexico for the upcoming season. It remains to be seen whether the 35-year-old will make a return to affiliated ball in the United States at some point down the road.
Kinda shocked he signed with a Mexican league team
Maybe he thinks the lockout will be around for a long time.
Maybe he realized the Red Sox were not offering him another contract…
Ever!
Maybe just Maybe this is his Spring Training and he wants to get in playing shape. And he has a opt Out clause should a settlement is reached and a team invites him to their camp.
More likely he fell in love in Mexico…with the local menus.
Mexico season starts on April 21
Sounds to me like he’s ready to not stop playing baseball, As a Red Sox fan I was not happy with his signing, but the man certainly had some quality years
Cleveland Indians legend!!! Braves are certainly happy with the return they got for him tho
Only plays well when in close proximity to the Pacific ocean.
Seems like overkill to run through the entire career of a well-known player when he’s signing in the Mexican League.
There is nothing else to write about
As a Panda fan, I appreciated it.
Come on Anthony. I don’t care if they were called the “Indians” when Sandoval was released by them. Can we stop using that name? Please? “Cleveland” will suffice and you clearly take that approach in the subsequent sentence. Thank you.
You mean people aren’t supposed to say “Indians” when referring to the 90s teams? We can’t re-write history.
looks like we’re also going to have to re-write major league 1&2 and cgi all the uniforms and fans apparel.
I will always be thankful the Cleveland Indians traded Rosario for Pablo Sandoval.
@Steve Garvey’s Son
He signed for the Cleveland Indians-fact. Get over it and stop with your wokeness on a baseball site.. Most people are tired of the lies & fraud that occurs on a daily basis in today’s society in every form.
2021 Cleveland Indians stats
baseball-reference.com/teams/CLE/2021.shtml
Try and wipe that from the record books with your lies and fraudulence.
What an amazing group of whining old grandmas, and you appear to be their whiniest leader. Try to find some meaning in your sad, pathetic lives. Really, seek out some help.
Best of luck Panda – I hope you rip it up!
He’s gonna be on the pooper for half the games.
Wishing Kung Fu Panda the best. Sandoval will always be a Giant.
Cleveland’s team is the INDIANS just as the NFL franchise is Washington is the REDSKINS. Stop the brainless woke-cancel history/culture BS,
These owners voluntarily changed their names, and they spent $ to do so. Root for the Chicago Blackhawks Atlanta Braves, if you you’re so adamant.
I don’t believe the woke movement is going to “set the record straight.” or change anything.
bingo
Teams are allowed to change their names to one that tests better with the current market and gives people more positive feelings about them. That’s the whole point of a name really, it’s the company brand.
Obviously pretending they weren’t the Indians previously is silly, but no more silly than pretending they’re not the Guardians now.
SZ,
Which aggrieved old white man are you, Statler or Waldorf?
And the American League team in New York are still the Highlanders, that Boston team are the Red Caps/Beraneaters, and that Pittsburgh team is still the Alleghenys. Names change with the times, get over it.. Stop cancelling history.
He’s going to join Big Sexy down there to make a Big Sexy Kung Fu Panda.
The Panda needs to come back with the SF Giants so that the Giants can win another WS…
Best of luck always to you, Pablo, in whatever you do, wherever you play. You left great memories for Giant fans and won’t be forgotten.
Could not agree more. So many great memories for those who followed Sandoval closely in SF.
Mickey Calloway is the manager of that team. Guess he is doing the Tim Johnson route after getting banned from MLB.
Mickey Calloway was a clown of a manager from his Mets introductory presser onward, assuring the players that they would be loved. In this Information Age, how do these dopes in such high-profile positions think that they can get away with any of the crap that they’ve pulled?
The war hero? Bwahahahaha!
Yep Sgt Slaughter himself lol, actually Tim Johnson was managing down in Mexico as late as the 2020 season.
Also Sgt. Slaughter himself never served in the military. Kind of funny how they make up war stories thinking they can get away with it.
more like Kung Pao panda