10 Reasons Pablo Sandoval's Worth to the Giants Is Overstated

Pablo Sandoval may be back at third base for the San Francisco Giants, but after his dismal performance on Sunday, there is cause for concern.

Yes, the Panda has only been back two games, but with his latest string off-the-field issues, how good will Sandoval be?

No question when Sandoval is healthy, he is a dynamic threat at the plate with his ability to hit for power and average.

Before his injury he was the Giants' best offensive weapon hitting .316 with five HR and 15 RBI. Yet after six weeks off and increasing coverage about his weight issues, will Sandoval re-emerge and help the Giants push for the playoff?

Remember the Giants won a World Series without major contributions from the Panda.  

So be excited that Sandoval is back, but here are 10 reasons why he isn't as important to the Giants' success as many would like to believe.

Weight Problems

Weight issues have always been a problem for Pablo Sandoval, and the Giants have put the time and money to keep the Panda in shape.

After a poor 2010 campaign, the team put the Sandoval through an offseason boot camp, which left him fit for 2011.

Sandoval responded hitting .315 with 23 HR and a .552 slugging percentage.

2012 has been different, and Giants manager Bruce Bochy has made it clear that the Panda needs to stay in shape.

As long as Sandoval can control his weight and help the team, the Giants will continue to support their young slugger, but if he becomes a liability don't be surprised if he sees some time on the bench. 

Off-the-Field Issues

If Pablo Sandoval's surgery and weight issues weren't enough of a destruction, the 25-year-old third baseman has been accused of sexual assault while on a rehab assignment last week.

Although no formal charges have been filed and Sandoval is innocent until proven guilty, the accusations should be taken seriously.

An event like this is a major distraction not only to Sandoval, but also to the team. Not only is there more media scrutiny for the team, but also for the young power hitter.

Guilty or not, his actions show a lack of judgement. As a young athlete Sandoval must deal with all sorts of temptations and distractions, but if he wants to be successful, he needs to avoid potential pitfalls.

In the end, this may be a small hiccup in the Giants' drive for another pennant; that being said Sandoval needs to focus on baseball if he wants to help the Giants. 

Struggles from the Right Side

Although Pablo Sandoval can switch hit, he is much better from the left side of the plate. This year he is batting .273 with just one home run and one RBI, right-handed.

Last year the Panda had 93 AB from the right side (almost one-fourth), yet  was only able to hit three home runs and six RBI.

He also struck out over 18 percent of the time while drawing two walks. 2010 was even worse, as he hit only .227 in 141 AB. 

Even though Sandoval doesn't get as many opportunities from that side, he doesn't have any power either. During his career, he has only hit 11 HR right-handed, with a .435 slugging percentage.

Although the Giants don't need major power production from Sandoval as a righty, it shows his switch-hitting abilities may be more of a novelty, rather than a useful situational tool.

Lack of Production AT&T Park

Like many power hitters, Sandoval has struggled lately to produce at AT&T Park. Over the last two years he has hit only nine of his 30 HR in San Francisco, while knocking in just 34 runs in over 250 AB.

Although Sandoval's power numbers are lower now, he crushed over 74 percent of his home runs at home and hit .345 in his first two years in the league.  

This year he is hitting only .261 with two home runs in 46 AB, while last year he hit .310.

Even though the Giants have struggled to score runs at AT&T, Sandoval had been a spark plug at home.

If the Giants are to make a playoff push, they will need the Panda to step up at home.  

Injury Prone

It's hard to blame Sandoval for missing the better part of three months due to injuries over the past two seasons,

Last year it was the hamate bone on his right hand and this year it was the same fracture, but on the left side.  

It's unfortunate that Sandoval has missed so much time with the Giants, and it may take time for  the Panda to return to his pre-injury form.

With Angel Pagan, Buster Posey and especially Melky Cabrera all hitting well, Sandoval will have to adjust to the possibility of a different place in the batting order.   

Right now the 25-year-old has a bright future with the Giants, but because of his injury history, the team may be more cautious with him.  

Lack of Consistency

Considering that Pablo Sandoval has been the Giants' most consistent power hitter over the past three years, it's hard to question his offensive production.

That being said, his dreadful 2010 season looms large over all of his great achievements. Not only did the Panda hit .268 with only 13 HR, but also he grounded into a league-high 26 double plays.

That year he was overweight and out of shape, yet it's unclear whether that was the main cause for his struggles.

Fast forward to the present, and once again Sandoval is struggling with his conditioning. The question on everyone's mind, will he regress after the injury because of the weight?

Another reason for his inconsistency—Sandoval swings at bad pitches. He may be talented, but he chases too many balls out of the zone. 

If he can extend his at-bats and be selective at the plate, the Giants should see even more production on offense.  

Abilty to Field at Third Base

After being one of the best fielding third basemen over the last two years, Sandoval has struggled recently.

In the game Sunday against the Texas Rangers, he missed played several balls, and hurt Tim Lincecum's chance for a productive start.

CSN's Andrew Beggarly reported that Sandoval would work on his defense and conditioning Monday before the next series against the Houston Astros.

Even before he went to the disabled list, Sandoval recorded five errors in 25 games. He had 10 errors all of last year.

When Sandoval is on his game he can be great at third base, and now it's up to him to return to form.

Pitch Selection

Not only is Sandoval notorious for swinging at bad pitches, but he has never been one to work the count, or draw a walk. 

In almost 1,980 career plate appearances, he has only walked 143 times, and despite hitting .307 for his career, his OBP sits at .356.

Early in his career Sandoval had great success jumping on the first pitch and hitting for power. In 2010 he batted .370 with four HR and 16 RBI when he swung at the first pitch.

Although his numbers were impressive, he grounded into 10 double plays. That year Sandoval led the National League with 26 GIDPs.

The Giants have shown they can do the small things to win games, and if Sandoval is going to contribute, he will have to be a bit more selective at the plate.  

Pressure as a Fan Favorite

Long before Pablo Sandoval became an All-Star in 2011, he was already a fan favorite with the Giants. After Barry Zito coined the nickname "Kung Fu Panda," Pandemonium took off.

Every time you went to the game another little kid would be wearing a panda hat, and in a couple of months, he went from rookie sensation to a household name.

In 2009 Sandoval took off, batting .330 with 25 HR and 90 RBI, and he entered the 2010 season with high expectations.

During the Giants' World Series run, you could tell that Sandoval was trying to force what was so natural for him the year before. That season his average dipped down to .268.

Two years later Sandoval seems better suited to handle the pressure, and it helps he also has a cast of characters to help him out.

Yet if he starts to force the issue at the plate and makes mistakes in the field, the Giants could be in for a repeat of his 2010 season.

The Giants Can Win Without Him

If you would have told any Giants fan the team could have won the World Seires with Pablo Sandoval sitting on the bench, he or she would have called you crazy too.

Sandoval was dreadful at the plate during the postseason, hitting .176 in 17 AB with only two RBI. After starting the first two games of the NLDS against the Atlanta Braves, Sandoval only started three more games the rest of the way.

This year during the 35 games he missed, the Giants were 21 and 14, and actually cut into the Los Angles Dodgers' division lead.

In 2011, the Giants went 25 and 16 over the 41 games he missed with the hamate bone fracture.

Yes, during both of those runs the Giants actually starting hitting the ball, and this year nobody could have expected Melky Cabrea's contributions.

Yet it also shows that despite Sandoval's great talent and skill, the Giants' success may not be tied to the Panda's performance.