Pablo Sandoval is off to a much better start in 2017 than he was in 2016, but the Boston Red Sox third baseman still has some early-season rust to shake off.
At this point last season, Sandoval already was on the disabled list with a shoulder strain that eventually required surgery and ended his season. The double, two home runs and seven RBIs the 30-year-old has collected in his first eight games so far is encouraging, but his .133 average shows that there’s still plenty of room for improvement.
One thing Sandoval really will have to do is relax his approach at the plate, as he’s tended to jump on some pitches he shouldn’t be swinging at. Manager John Farrell even gave the Venezuela native the day off against the Pittsburgh Pirates on Thursday in an attempt to right the ship.
Hear more about Sandoval’s offense from NESN’s Tom Caron and Tim Wakefield on “Red Sox First Pitch” in the video above.
thumbnail photo via Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports Images
