Pablo Sandoval

Pablo Emilio Sandoval Reyes (born August 11, 1986) is a Venezuelan-American professional baseball third baseman in the San Francisco Giants organization.

He has previously played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Giants, Boston Red Sox and Atlanta Braves.

He stands 5 ft tall, and weighs 268 lb. Nicknamed "Kung Fu Panda", Sandoval is a two-time All-Star and has won three World Series championships with the Giants.

In 2002, Sandoval was signed by the San Francisco Giants.

Sandoval received notice from scouts in 2002, when he went to the Dominican Republic for a scouting tournament.

A scout for the Texas Rangers told Sandoval he would come to Venezuela to sign him, but he did not show up.

After two weeks, Ciro Villalobos, a scout for the San Francisco Giants, offered Sandoval a contract, and he signed.

Sandoval began his professional career as a catcher in 2004 with the rookie AZL Giants, hitting .266 with no home runs and 26 runs batted in (RBI) in 177 at bats.

In 2005, he was used almost entirely as a third baseman while playing for the Single-A short season Salem-Keizer Volcanoes.

He hit .330 (second in the Northwest League to Mike Mooney's .342) with three home runs and 50 RBIs (one behind Luis Valbuena's total).

His batting average slumped in 2006 to .265.

He had one home run and 49 RBIs with the Single-A Augusta GreenJackets of the South Atlantic League that year, splitting time between first and third base.

In 2007, he played for the Single-A advanced San Jose Giants, hitting .287 with 11 homers and 52 RBIs.

That season, he was used as a catcher and first baseman, and he helped San Jose win the California League championship.

Sandoval worked his way through the minor leagues and debuted with the Giants in 2008, batting .345 in 41 games.

In 2008, he spent time with two minor league teams, San Jose and the Double-A Connecticut Defenders of the Eastern League, before being called up to the majors.

In 273 at bats for San Jose, he hit .359 with 12 home runs and 59 RBIs.

In 175 at bats with Connecticut, he hit .337 with eight home runs and 37 RBIs.

In total, he hit .350 with 20 home runs and 96 RBIs in 2008.

Sandoval was called up to the Majors on August 13, 2008.

Capable of playing first base, third base, and catcher, he became the Giants' starting third baseman in 2009, ceasing to catch that year and playing first base only occasionally.

In 2009, Sandoval finished second in All-Star Final Vote balloting, batting .330 with 25 home runs and 90 runs batted in (RBIs) in his first full season in the majors.

However, Sandoval struggled in 2010 and was benched during the playoffs for the 2010 World Series, which the Giants won.

He lost weight before 2011 and hit .315 with 23 home runs in 117 games.

He hit three home runs in Game 1 of the 2012 World Series, becoming the fourth player to hit three home runs in a World Series game, leading to his being named that year's World Series Most Valuable Player (MVP).

During the offseason, Sandoval plays for the Navegantes del Magallanes of the Venezuelan Professional Baseball League (VPBL).

Injuries limited Sandoval to 109 games in 2012, but he was selected to his second-straight All-Star Game.

Then, in Game 1 of the 2012 World Series, Sandoval joined Babe Ruth, Reggie Jackson, and Albert Pujols as the only players to hit three home runs in a World Series Game.

For his contributions, Sandoval was named the World Series Most Valuable Player, as the Giants swept the Detroit Tigers.

In 2013, he appeared in 141 games, batting .278, with 14 home runs, and 79 RBIs.

A free agent after the 2014 season, Sandoval signed a five-year contract with the Red Sox that offseason.

Due to poor performance, the Red Sox released him in 2017.

Sandoval then re-signed with the Giants, but the Red Sox remained responsible for paying his salary through the end of the 2019 season.

Sandoval was born to Pablo Sr. and Amelia Sandoval in Puerto Cabello, Carabobo, Venezuela.

He grew up an avid baseball fan, following the careers of Omar Vizquel and Andrés Galarraga.

He practiced baseball in an empty two-car garage with his older brother, Michael.

His favorite players were Omar Vizquel (later his teammate on the Giants) and Andrés Galarraga.

He was born left-handed, but wanted to be able to play shortstop like Vizquel.

Thus, at nine, he taught himself to throw right-handed as well.

He can still throw with both hands, but throws right-handed during games.