This former Brave was a fan favorite at the beginning of the 2021 season before being traded for another 2021 playoff hero.
In an unexpected change of events, the San Francisco Giants have opted to reconcile with one of their playoff heroes from the 2010s. Pablo Sandoval has returned (kind of) to the major leagues after being absent for the previous two seasons.
Of course, being a non-roster invitee means Sandoval is not certain to play in major league games, but that is exactly how Panda got into the Braves in 2021.
It turns out the Giants are going to have a member of the title teams in camp this spring. Pablo Sandoval is expected to arrive soon as a non-roster invitee. Story: https://t.co/0CMoy8pcPv
— Alex Pavlovic (@PavlovicNBCS) February 17, 2024
It seems like a lifetime ago that Pablo Sandoval was wearing a Braves uniform, but some of his early-season exploits helped the Braves win a few games.
After a strong April in which he slashed.300/.417/.750 and hit three of his four home runs in 24 PAs, the Panda cooled off significantly, concluding his 2021 season with the Braves with a slash line of.178/.302/.342.
Alex Anthopoulos persuaded Cleveland to trade Eddie Rosario, who was injured at the time, for Sandoval in a one-for-one deal. Cleveland quickly fired Sandoval, while Rosario became the greatest hitter in history for exactly a month, leading the Braves to victory in the 2021 World Series.
Where has Pablo Sandoval been since 2021?
Sandoval has not played for a major league organization since being released shortly after the Braves moved him, although he has continued to play baseball.
The Panda played 28 games in the Venezuelan Winter League in 2021-2022, followed by six games in the Caribbean Series.
In 2022, he appeared in 91 games for two separate clubs in the Mexican League before playing 20 games in Puerto Rico’s winter league.
Sandoval recently participated in Baseball United’s inaugural All-Star Showcase games, where he smashed a six-run homer (yep, six runs), the league’s first ever.
It will be interesting to watch how Sandoval performs during Spring Training, but we wish him the best. Check out the most current video from And That’s Baseball for a wonderful review of Sandoval’s career.
Pablo Sandoval just hit the first ever six-run home run
It was a "moneyball at bat" so the runs counted as double pic.twitter.com/5ST2PUJdPz
— Talkin’ Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) November 25, 2023
While his time with the Braves was brief, he brought a lot of excitement to the team, which was a good sign for what was to come in 2021.
