Kung Fu Panda Boosts All Star Candidacy

     I have to admit it.  If it wasn’t for fantasy baseball I don’t think Pablo Sandoval would have been as high on my radar as he’s been over the last year and a half.  In fantasy, the one they call Kung Fu Panda had tremendous value going into this season, not because of his .300+ batting average and clutch hits, but because of his eligibility at the catcher’s position.  Walking into this season, the top 3 fantasy catchers were Russell Martin, Joe Mauer and Geovany Soto.  Victor Martinez hovered around there too, but people were still waiting to see if his power came back.  And then there was Sandoval.

     Because Sandoval had played the minimum requirement of 10 games at the catcher’s position, he qualified there for fantasy leagues regardless of whether or not he played a single game there this season.  That’s quite a commodity in fantasy circles.  He had always hit for a high average in the minors and then when he came up at the end of last season and hit .357 in 145 at bats, people took notice.  My radar immediately went off and as I prepared for my fantasy drafts this season, Sandoval was on each of my bid sheets as a catcher.

     But I was not alone.  As a matter of fact, in all 5 of my leagues (yes, I have 5 different fantasy teams in 5 different leagues) Sandoval was on the majority of everyone’s lists.  A few people had him at third, but mostly everyone had him at catcher.  The competition for him was so fierce, that I had to let him go in some and lost him to more aggressive bids in others.  I was definitely disappointed, and when he came ou tof the gate as strong as he did this season, my disappointment grew.

     Sandoval has grown into quite a player overall.  Built like the 5th Molina, he has surprisingly quick feet and has flashed some pretty good leather over at the hot corner this season.  That, along with his .332 average, 13 HR and 3 stolen bases, have made him one of the hottest tickets around.  And I’m not talking just fantasy…..reality too!

     Going on a minimum of 200 at bats (a pretty good level for starting third basemen), Sandoval’s .332 average is tops for players at his position.  His 13 HR ties him for 10th overall and his 48 RBI rank him 7th.  Not bad for a guy who, for all intents and purposes, is a rookie.

     Even more telling are things like his 94 hits and .346 OBP that rank him 7th among third sackers, and his .572 slugging percentage rank him second.  Not to mention, his 6 errors put him so far “down” on the list, I didn’t even feel the need to count.  Hell, there are half a dozen third basemen out there have have double digit error totals, so you know the Panda’s looking sharp.

     And now yesterday he cracks his first career grand slam with two outs to break the game open and send Matt Cain off to his 10th win of the season?  Not only is he a fantasy player’s dream, but he’s definitely endeared himself to the fans and to all of his teammates.  He’s got a great attitude and comes to play every day.  I’ve never seen him give less than he is capable of and for that I applaud him.  You bet your *** he’s got my vote for the All Star Game!

     And he should have yours too!