Why Pablo Sandoval’s Early Numbers Are Misleading

Pablo Sandoval is a good player and a breath of fresh air. He's fun to watch play, and he is easy to like.

People are talking about his .337 batting average ("He can flat-out hit," says Dan Plesac of MLB.com).

Future Hall of Famer? It is too soon to tell.

One thing is sure, though: The numbers beneath the numbers say that Sandoval is much closer to adequate than spectacular.

Sure he can hit. With nobody on base and nobody out, Sandoval is hitting .818 (9-for-11). In fact, 20 of his 32 hits have come with the bases empty, including two of his three home runs.

Not only is he unproductive with runners on base, he is counterproductive. Sandoval has grounded into eight double plays.

If you adjust his batting average to reflect that statistic (ch...

Read Complete Article at Bleacher Report - San Francisco Giants
Article is property of BleacherReport.com