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Pablo Sandoval says weight regimen contributed to him leaving Giants
Pablo Sandoval's departure from the San Francisco Giants continues to get ugly. Sandoval has already made waves this spring, saying he felt disrespected by his former club, and never intended to re-sign with them.
Well, he's doubled down on those comments, telling USA Today's Jorge L. Ortiz that he changed his cell phone number and doesn't really communicate with his old teammates. He also revealed that the team's insistence that he remain on a weight regimen was one of the reasons he decided to leave San Francisco.
"I'm a professional and I know what I have to do,'' said Sandoval, listed as 5-11 and 255. "I know where I've failed and how I've grown up. If I had signed (with the Giants), I knew I would be under a (weight) regimen for five years, and I'm not going to be happy someplace where I'm under that kind of regimen, where I can't be myself.''
Sandoval has been criticized for his weight a number of times over his career. That hasn't stopped in Boston, where an unflattering picture of Sandoval was released shortly after camp opened.
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At this point, Sandoval has probably earned the benefit of the doubt when it comes to his weight. He's always been this size, but it hasn't stopped him from posting a career .294/.346/.465 slash line over seven years in the majors. Sandoval is also regarded as a pretty strong defender, so it's tough to argue that his weight has really impacted his numbers.
With that said, there's still some reason for concern moving forward. Sandoval is still relatively young, but his weight could become a bigger problem as he ages. Teammate David Ortiz says he's discussed that issue with Sandoval already.
"I've been getting after Pablo about that,'' Ortiz said. "Because Pablo is very agile, but he's 28 now. If he doesn't take care of himself, in a couple of years he could lose that agility overnight. So I'm talking to him about eating better, because if you want to stay in this game, you have to take care of yourself.''
Given Ortiz's body size, and late career success, Sandoval may want to pay heed to his new teammate's suggestion.
None of this will matter if Sandoval goes out and gets off to a good start this season. Notice that Sandoval's weight has only ever been a problem during the offseason or as camp opens. Once real games begin, those concerns seem to disappear.
Bad-bodied players typically don't age well, and Sandoval may have to be more serious about his conditioning as he gets older. For now, though, he knows his body, and knows what he has to do in order to have a successful season. Until he fails, it's tough to doubt him.
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Chris Cwik is a writer for Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at christophercwik@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Chris_Cwik
