For the first five weeks of the season, Pablo Sandoval took Braves Country by storm with his late game heroics. He recorded four go-ahead pinch-hit home runs over that span, and the energy he brought to the clubhouse only added to his value. However, while his joyful presence in the clubhouse remains, his on-field production has taken a nosedive for quite some time now. Since May 11th, Sandoval has had 39 at-bats of which only four have resulted in hits (.103 average), and none have gone for extra-bases. The Panda’s average for the season is all the way down to .186, and his OPS is a measly .670.
The impact Sandoval has on the clubhouse is undeniable. Several players spoke about it following last year’s postseason, and it’s overwhelmingly apparent when watching the games this season. I’ll miss that aspect of Sandoval, as well as his Panda hugs, and I wouldn’t mind him sticking around the organization in some capacity, but the Braves can’t keep relying on him as one of their top pinch-hitters. Hopefully, they won’t have to after the trade deadline.
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