San Francisco Giants third baseman Pablo Sandoval is looking slender.
Sandoval, who has battled weight issues throughout his Major League Baseball career, told MLB.com Venezuela correspondent Rafael Rojas that he has lost 42 pounds this winter with his offseason training program.
Sandoval, nicknamed “Kung Fu Panda,” always has been a big fella, but his weight has fluctuated like crazy throughout his six-year career with the Giants. The slugger lost more than 30 pounds before the 2011 season by virtue of “Operation Panda” — a program aimed at getting him into better shape. But Sandoval packed on weight this past season, and it’s believed that he entered camp last year at 270 pounds despite being listed at 240.
A slimmer Sandoval could mean a better Sandoval. Sandoval’s production has fluctuated like his weight over the years, with his best seasons coming in 2009 and 2011. Sandoval, who earned All-Star selections in 2011 and 2012, hit .278 with 14 homers and 79 RBIs in 141 games last season.
Sandoval has a little extra incentive to keep the weight off this year. The 27-year-old is set to become a free agent next winter, and a nice payday could be in his future with a strong 2014 campaign.
Sandoval’s brother recently posted a photo that shows the weight loss. Check it out below.
Photo via Instagram/MikeSandoval0807
