Tuesday, May 11, 2010

Hottest of the Hot Corner: Ranking MLB's Top 16 Third Basemen—No. 5

Texas Rangers v San Francisco Giants
Part 12 of 16

No. 5 Pablo Sandoval, San Francisco Giants


The Kung Fu Panda has quickly established himself as one of the National League's top hitters and best third sackers despite a body that does not seem to fit the part. Pablo Sandoval displayed a potent bat since the time he joined the San Francisco Giants late in the 2008 season and has continued to wear out pitchers indiscriminately.


To his credit, the 23-year old player recognized that he needed to get into better shape if he hoped to withstand the rigors of long major league baseball seasons and stay out of the training room. This past winter he engaged in "Operation Panda" to drop ten pounds.


Regardless of his dimensions, Sandoval can flat out hit. After batting .345 in his cameo appearance in 2008, he batted .330 with 25 HR's and 90 RBI's in his first full season. This season he is hitting .337 with 3 HR's after 24 games.

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