This is Giants third baseman Pablo Sandoval as he appeared last season.
SAN DIEGO, CA - SEPTEMBER 4: Pablo Sandoval #48 of the San Francisco Giants watches the flight of his three-run homer hit in the ninth inning of a baseball game against the San Diego Padres at Petco Park on September 4, 2013 in San Diego, California. The home run was Sandoval’s third of the game. (Photo by Denis Poroy/Getty Images)
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This is Pablo Sandoval now, courtesy of a pic he posted on twitter this afternoon.
Now, the shirt is a kinda baggy. There’s probably still some flab hiding under there. But at the rate he’s going, there might not be for much longer.
It’s probably not a coincidence that Sandoval has finally committed to conditioning as he enters his walk year in 2014. He’s just going to be 27 next season, and he could be in line for a big payday if he puts up numbers like he did in 2009 (.330/.387/.556) or 2011 (.315/.357/.552). With the way he had been going, he was probably going to be viewed as a first baseman as a free agent. However, if he can keep himself in pretty good shape, he should be able to last at third for at least a few more years.