A few days ago, Pablo Sandoval was photographed at Red Sox camp in a pose that did not appear to show him the best of shape. Of course, his physical conditioning has been a topic of discussion for much of his career. However, that didn’t stop the Red Sox from offering Sandoval $95 million over five years to be their third baseman.
As the above photo made its way around the internet, many of the same criticisms regarding Sandoval’s weight that have been mentioned in the past surfaced again. On Thursday, Sandoval spoke to the media and addressed those who have made negative remarks.
“Critics have said that I am lazy, that I am not working hard; that picture caught me at a bad angle, Sandoval said via ESPN Boston. But once again, let them say whatever they want to say. I will prove who I am on the field and show Boston fans how hard I am working to be a champion with this team, too.”
Having signed a big contract and coming to a new team, it’s understandable Pablo Sandoval would feel the need to prove himself not only to a new fan base, but new organization as well. Perhaps he was right that the picture caught him at a bad angle. Maybe he didn’t arrive in the best of shape. Either way, there is time for Sandoval to get himself ready for the start of the season. If he doesn’t, the criticism about his weight certainly won’t go away.
