News
Sandoval's regimen enters 'test' phase
Young Giants star will have to regulate own diet this week
By Chris Haft / MLB.com
11/16/09 9:26 PM EST
SAN FRANCISCO -- Pablo Sandoval's efforts to become a sleeker Panda not only shifted to a new site Monday but also entered a new dimension. He'll have to order dinner for himself. For many people, selecting a menu item or two or three is sheer joy. For Sandoval, the Giants' top hitter who has launched an intense physical conditioning program, placing an order this week will force him to maintain his willpower and resolve. "It's a good test for me," Sandoval said Monday at AT&T Park, where he'll exercise alongside this year's Giants Draftees at the team's conditioning camp through Friday. Sandoval met with nutritionists and received catered, healthy food while working out at the Giants' Scottsdale, Ariz., training headquarters during the previous two weeks. Now, while spending the next few days amid one of the nation's finest collection of eateries, he must continue eating sensibly to avoid regaining some of the 12 pounds he has shed. Sandoval sounded bent upon maintaining his discipline. "I want to weigh 240 on Opening Day," said Sandoval, who was listed at 246 pounds in the Giants' regular- and post-season media guides. To that end, the hugely popular infielder nicknamed "Kung Fu Panda" said that he'll search for salads and turkey sandwiches instead of pasta in North Beach or mu shu pork in Chinatown. How will he and his brother Michael, his companion and workout partner, make a prudent dining selection each night? Simple. "You have to find it," Pablo Sandoval said. Asked what he does when hunger pangs strike him, Sandoval said that he reaches for a piece of fruit or a bottle of water. How did he formerly scratch this itch? "I'd try to go to McDonald's," he said with a sheepish look. "But I've learned that that's bad for me." Sandoval should succeed if he maintains the dedication he has brought to his workouts, as witnessed by head athletic trainer Dave Groeschner. "His attitude has been unbelievable," Groeschner said. "He's working really hard. He always has." Groeschner acknowledged that Sandoval, 23, will face the same gustatory temptations that nag people during the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays. "He's a normal person, too," Groeschner said. "It's tough for everybody not to gain weight right now." Thus, the Giants realize that keeping Sandoval fit to repeat his outstanding 2009 season, which featured a .330 batting average, 25 home runs, 90 RBIs, 44 doubles and a .943 OPS (on-base plus slugging percentage), is a process that extends beyond these few weeks. "We're really optimistic but we're trying to be realistic, too," Groeschner said, noting that Sandoval will have plenty of rich food thrust at him when he returns to his native Venezuela. But Sandoval, who plans on playing four to six weeks of winter ball in Venezuela for Magallanes, seemed to cherish the extra energy he has derived from proper diet and exercise, suggesting that he just might stick to his regimen. "The bat's going to be quick," he promised.Chris Haft is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
