Year Age Tm Lg G PA AB R H 2B 3B HR BB SO BA OBP SLG OPS OPS+ 2011 24 SFG NL 117 466 426 55 134 26 3 23 32 63 .315 .357 .552 .909 153
Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 10/20/2011.
I’ll be brief, because I already somewhat reviewed Pablo Sandoval’s season; but for the purpose of completeness (as I attempt to tackle roughly 40 player reviews), and because I really enjoyed watching Pablo this season, I’ll dedicate a few more words to him.
The gist of the aforementioned post:
- Sandoval was stellar on offense, perhaps the only Giants player for whom that can be said.
- Sandoval was stellar on defense as well, which came as a very pleasant surprise.
- For these reasons, Sandoval was (pretty much undoubtedly) the Giants’ most valuable player this season.
There’s something I’d like to add though, something that I don’t think I’ve emphasized enough. Pablo Sandoval is 25 years old, and he just turned 25 in August. This means, technically, that 2011 qualifies as his “age-24 season.” And this is what really makes Sandoval special: before turning 25, he’s already notched a couple fantastic seasons under his belt.
To illustrate this…
Giants players with at least two seasons of 4+ rWAR before turning 25:
| Rk | Yrs | From | To | Age | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mel Ott | 5 | 1929 | 1933 | 20-24 | Ind. Seasons |
| 2 | Travis Jackson | 3 | 1926 | 1928 | 22-24 | Ind. Seasons |
| 3 | Frankie Frisch | 3 | 1921 | 1923 | 22-24 | Ind. Seasons |
| 4 | Ross Youngs | 3 | 1919 | 1921 | 22-24 | Ind. Seasons |
| 5 | Pablo Sandoval | 2 | 2009 | 2011 | 22-24 | Ind. Seasons |
| 6 | Will Clark | 2 | 1987 | 1988 | 23-24 | Ind. Seasons |
| 7 | Jack Clark | 2 | 1978 | 1980 | 22-24 | Ind. Seasons |
| 8 | Bobby Bonds | 2 | 1969 | 1970 | 23-24 | Ind. Seasons |
| 9 | Jim Ray Hart | 2 | 1964 | 1966 | 22-24 | Ind. Seasons |
| 10 | Orlando Cepeda | 2 | 1960 | 1961 | 22-23 | Ind. Seasons |
| 11 | Willie Mays | 2 | 1954 | 1955 | 23-24 | Ind. Seasons |
| 12 | Freddie Lindstrom | 2 | 1928 | 1930 | 22-24 | Ind. Seasons |
And third basemen with at least two seasons of 4+ rWAR before turning 25:
| Rk | Yrs | From | To | Age | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Eddie Mathews | 4 | 1953 | 1956 | 21-24 | Ind. Seasons |
| 2 | David Wright | 3 | 2005 | 2007 | 22-24 | Ind. Seasons |
| 3 | Scott Rolen | 3 | 1997 | 1999 | 22-24 | Ind. Seasons |
| 4 | George Brett | 3 | 1975 | 1977 | 22-24 | Ind. Seasons |
| 5 | Dick Allen | 3 | 1964 | 1966 | 22-24 | Ind. Seasons |
| 6 | Pablo Sandoval | 2 | 2009 | 2011 | 22-24 | Ind. Seasons |
| 7 | Evan Longoria | 2 | 2009 | 2010 | 23-24 | Ind. Seasons |
| 8 | Troy Glaus | 2 | 2000 | 2001 | 23-24 | Ind. Seasons |
| 9 | Robin Ventura | 2 | 1991 | 1992 | 23-24 | Ind. Seasons |
| 10 | Jim Ray Hart | 2 | 1964 | 1966 | 22-24 | Ind. Seasons |
| 11 | Ron Santo | 2 | 1963 | 1964 | 23-24 | Ind. Seasons |
| 12 | George Kell | 2 | 1946 | 1947 | 23-24 | Ind. Seasons |
| 13 | Harlond Clift | 2 | 1936 | 1937 | 23-24 | Ind. Seasons |
| 14 | Freddie Lindstrom | 2 | 1928 | 1930 | 22-24 | Ind. Seasons |
| 15 | Rogers Hornsby | 2 | 1916 | 1919 | 20-23 | Ind. Seasons |
| 16 | Home Run Baker | 2 | 1909 | 1910 | 23-24 | Ind. Seasons |
| 17 | Bill Bradley | 2 | 1901 | 1902 | 23-24 | Ind. Seasons |
It’s pretty rare, and it’s something that should be recognized in Sandoval. He’s in company with quite a few remarkable players.
–
I’ll preface this by noting that all players age differently, but it’s pretty nice to see that Sandoval’s career path is starting to look like that of some of the very good third basemen in recent MLB history…
Source: FanGraphs — Troy Glaus, Robin Ventura, Edgardo Alfonzo
He’s oft-scrutinized (whether it be for his weight, his plate discipline, etc.), but he’s done mighty fine things thus far, and he was the only consistent performer at the plate for the Giants in 2011. I’d love to see him take home a Silver Slugger and a Gold Glove award for his efforts, and furthermore, I can’t wait to watch him continue to blossom as a ballplayer. He’s extremely talented.
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2 Responses to 2011 Season in Review: Pablo Sandoval
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Wow! Glaus, Alfonso and Chavez were all done by age 30. Love what Pablo is doing. I think the Giants should go year-to-year during his arbitration years and see if his dedication to conditioning is sustained. I would be very leery of a big dollar long term contract for him.
I would be content with buying out his arb years + a few FA years on a five or six-year extension at… something like $10MM per yr. Maybe make the last couple years generous team options.
…if that at all sounds realistic.