FORT MYERS, Fla. — You couldn’t miss the big guy when he played at Hadlock Field, but nearly everyone did.
Sure, all in attendance noticed David Ortiz that night, stepping to the plate in a Portland Sea Dogs uniform.
But what about the catcher Ortiz was talking to while standing in the batter’s box?
Did anyone recognize Pablo Sandoval?
Back in 2008, when Ortiz was on a rehab assignment in Portland, Sandoval wore the catching gear for the Connecticut Defenders, then the Double-A affiliate of the San Francisco Giants.
“I remember,” Sandoval said of meeting Ortiz. “Great guy. Funny guy. For a big leaguer to talk to me was exciting.”
Not that Sandoval was all ears.
“He talked a lot,” Ortiz recalled.
And Sandoval, 28, is still talking, usually with volume. He can be heard while sauntering through the Red Sox clubhouse, taunting a teammate or stopping to join a card game. Outside, he engages fans, opposing players and minor leaguers at the other side of Boston’s spring training complex.
“He’s always like that,” said shortstop Xander Bogaerts, often part of the audience when Sandoval dishes out his wisdom, humor and whatever else comes to mind.
But how did Sandoval become the new third baseman for the Red Sox after starting out as a catching prospect for San Francisco?
Signed as a 16-year-old free agent out of Venezuela, Sandoval caught and played the corner infield positions for six years for the Giants. Included in that time were 44 games in 2008 with Connecticut, a franchise that eventually moved to Richmond, Virginia.
That’s how he happened to be at Hadlock Field in July, the same time Ortiz was playing before capacity crowds on a three-game rehab.
“He gave me some advice,” Sandoval said of their conversations at home plate. “He told me to keep working and do everything I can to reach the big leagues.”
While fans may have not paid attention to Sandoval, he didn’t go unnoticed.
“I knew who he was,” Sea Dogs hitting coach Dave Joppie said. “He could hit.”
Sandoval batted .337 for the Defenders and was promoted to the majors later that season, hitting .345 in 41 games.
But the Giants had another catcher coming up the system. With Buster Posey, the Giants didn’t need Sandoval behind the plate.
“The last time I caught was 2009,” Sandoval said. “They moved me to third base, which saved me a couple of years.”
Rescued from the grind of catching, Sandoval actually displayed a nimble form at third despite – how can we put this? – his panda-like physique.
“He has tremendous feet and tremendous athleticism,” said Boston third-base coach Brian Butterfield, who handles the infielders. “He has a strong throwing arm. He knows how to use his legs. He’s obviously been well-schooled and he works at it.”
Boston found the need for a third baseman after the promising Will Middlebrooks struggled for two seasons (batting .213) and was traded to San Diego.
Sandoval was available, a free agent after six-plus seasons with the Giants (.294 career average/.811 OPS, three World Series rings, .344/.935 postseason numbers).
After offensive malaises in 2014, the Red Sox went after the free-swinging Sandoval.
“We know he’s an aggressive hitter. He can hit a number of different pitches, and seemingly he can handle pitches from his ankle to his head,” Manager John Farrell said.
“That’s the type of hitter he is, particularly from the left side of the plate.”
A switch hitter, Sandoval has slipped as a right-handed hitter, batting .199 last year. But on Sunday he batted right and doubled off the left-field wall at JetBlue Park.
“It was good to see him square up a ball right-handed,” Farrell said. “That’s been a work of emphasis for him.”
The Red Sox gave Sandoval a five-year, $95 million contract to swat more balls against the Green Monster, to deliver in clutch moments, and to continue playing a nimble third base.
And add to the clubhouse atmosphere.
“I’m not only pleased with the athlete but the guy,” Butterfield said. “He’s an extension of (Mike) Napoli and (Dustin) Pedroia. He’s on top of everything. And he has one thing on his mind and that’s trying to win a ballgame.”
So Sandoval becomes another player who has emerged from Hadlock Field to Fenway Park – only not as a Sea Dog.
In Boston, Sandoval is expected to stay awhile, making his panda-sized presence felt.
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