Red Sox 3B Sandoval relegated to bench role
A little more than a year after signing Pablo Sandoval to a five-year contract worth $95 million, the Red Sox announced on Thursday that he’ll enter the season in a bench role. Boston’s Opening Day third baseman will instead be Travis Shaw, who’ll make the league minimum.
John Farrell says that Travis Shaw is the #RedSox third baseman. Pablo Sandoval to the bench. Met with both players this morning.
— Pete Abraham (@PeteAbe) March 31, 2016
Shaw impressed last year by hitting .270/.327/.487 with 23 extra-base hits in 65 games. Can he keep that pace up? You’d be wise to say no, based on everything we know about him. For starters, Shaw’s statistical track record in the minors is spotted. He used an advanced approach to will his way through the lower levels, yet enters the season with a career .715 OPS in Triple-A. Considering he turns 26 in about two weeks’ time, that’s not a promising indication that his bat is for real.
A scouting perspective is no more kind to Shaw. He’s a large, well-built feller who looks like he belongs over at first base — fitting, since that’s been his primary defensive home as a professional. Shaw, then, is almost guaranteed to play below-average defense at the hot corner, thereby putting more pressure on his bat. That’s not a good thing: while there’s no denying Shaw has impressive raw power — again, look at him — both his bat speed and his ability to hit same-handed pitching have been questioned in the past. The expectation among scouty types is that he’ll settle in as a usable option against right-handed pitching, albeit one who belongs at a less-demanding defensive position.
The Red Sox are essentially banking on Shaw’s acumen for the game — an asset of his, given his father, Jeff, pitched in the majors for more than a decade — and ableness to adjust helping him transcend his physical limitations. There’s no telling whether that’ll happen, however, meaning the smart money is on Shaw coming up short in his efforts to replicate last season’s performance.
As for Sandoval, this is certainly not a good sign. He did have a nice spring at the plate — Shaw just had a nicer one — though his defense continues to slip. Should Shaw falter, Sandoval figures to get another chance. Otherwise? The Red Sox will employ one of the game’s most expensive reserves for the foreseeable future.
Pablo Sandoval will open the season on the bench.(USATSI)
