Atomic RoadRunners | Andrew Flynn’s High-Energy Fantasy Baseball

The website Crooked Pitch asked their readers if There’s Room on Your Roster for Pablo Sandoval? Some excerpts:

It’s been 81 at-bats and almost four entire weeks since the Giants called up 22-year-old prospect Pablo Sandoval. In that span Sandoval has played nine games at catcher, 11 games at first base, and five games at third base. He’s also batted anywhere from third to seventh in the lineup, with most of his time spent in the five hole (29 at-bats) or the three slot (22 at-bats). His stat line so far is .358/.375/.519 with 14 runs scored, two home runs, and 14 RBI.

Sandoval made the jump from Double-A Connecticut to San Francisco after spending 44 games there and 68 games in Advanced Single-A San Jose. His combined 2008 minor league stat line in 448 at-bats is .350/.394/.578 with 20 home runs and 96 RBI. This switch hitting multi-position player is proving that he can hit at every level.

With enough games played to qualify at catcher and first base in just about every fantasy platform. And with enough third base games to qualify in a few others, it’s hard for me to see a fantasy team right now who couldn’t use the kind of numbers Sandoval is putting out.

• Over the last month Sandoval is the third ranked catcher behind Joe Mauer and Geovany Soto.
• He’s the 13th ranked third baseman over that same period of time.
• He’s the 19th ranked first baseman over the last month.
• If you compare him to the rest of the fantasy league over the last week he’s the top ranked catcher, the #3 third baseman, and the #5 first baseman.

John Sickels Minor League Ball chimes in with his “Thinking About Pablo Sandoval” post:

Pablo Sandoval was signed by the Giants out of Venezuela in 2002. He spent 2003 in the Dominican Summer League, then moved to the Arizona Rookie League in 2004 and hit .266/.287/.373 in 46 games. Not great offensive production. Indeed, at this point Sandoval’s defense was the thing that drew good reviews. I put him in the 2005 book and gave him a Grade C, noting the strong defensive reports but wondering about the bat.

Sandoval hit .330/.383/.425 for Salem-Keizer in the Northwest League in 2005. The Giants moved him to third base, where he showed a strong arm but needed a lot of polish charging balls and such. Scouts were impressed with the bat, and I liked his low strikeout rate (33 Ks in 294 at-bats), liking the bat enough that I gave him an aggressive B- in the 2006 book.

2006 was an odd year. He hit jjust .265/.309/.322 for Augusta in the Sally League, with significant slippage in his plate discipline and no power. He played first base and third base, but without showing enough offense for either position. I left him out of the 2007 book, but would rate him a Grade C prospect, looking like he might get lost in the shuffle, though he was still just 19.

He recovered some stock value in 2007, hitting .287/.312/.476 for San Jose in the Cal League and moving back to catcher. Arm strength remained an asset, but problems with footwork and polish were present, granted moving positions didn’t help him gain consistency. His walk rate was quite low, just 16 walks in 401 at-bats, but the strikeouts weren’t out of bounds at 52 and the better power production was notable. I gave him a Grade C in the book this year, writing that the bat was intriguing but that I wasn’t sure where he would fit defensively.

Sandoval has been terrific this year: .359/.412/.597 in the California League, .337/.364/.549 in the Eastern League, .349/.366/.500 for the Giants. Given his age, I think this improvement is mostly for real, although I don’t think the .349 average will be sustainable over a full season. But I think he can hit .280-.300, with at least moderate power. Defensively, he’s spent time at first base, catcher, and third base for the Giants. The sample sizes are too small at each position for the defensive numbers to mean much, so I’m still unsure where he fits best in the long run. Obviously having a catcher who can hit like that is harder to find than a first baseman.

Question for you Giants fans or anyone who has seen Sandoval a lot: would it be better if he settled on one position, or is he best-used the way they are using him now? And if he did settle on one position, which should it be?

Additionally, the McCovey Chronicles asks if Sandoval could be the next Babe Ruth:

After watching Pablo Sandoval spray the ball all over Mays Field on Sunday, I have the perfect new comparison: a switch-hitting Vladimir Guerrero who can play catcher. Wait, let me qualify that. Sandoval’s worst-case scenario is a switch-hitting Vladimir Guerrero who can play catcher. His best-case comparison is a switch-pitching, multi-position Babe Ruth.

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