Following an abysmal beginning to the season batting against left-handed pitchers from the right side of the plate, Boston Red Sox third baseman Pablo Sandoval is contemplating giving up his switch-hitting moniker and opting to become an exclusively left-handed hitter.
In the midst of an underwhelming start with Boston through the first 40 games after signing a five-year, $95 million deal with the franchise last fall, Sandoval is on the verge of forgoing his emphasis on batting right-handed when pitted against a lefty. The 28-year old has gone an atrocious 2-for-42 at the plate while batting righty this season, a figure which has brought his batting average down to a paltry .266, far below his career mark of .293.
A factor which could influence the switch came within Sandoval's pinch-hit at-bat in the eighth inning of Boston's 6-1 victory over the Anaheim Angels on Sunday. Facing the left-handed Cesar Ramos, Sandoval opted to bat from the left side with first baseman Mike Napoli standing at third base. The decision paid dividends, as Sandoval laced a single through the right side of the infield to drive home an insurance run for the Red Sox.
Despite the fact that this decision will boil down to the preference of Sandoval himself, a factor which makes the desertion of the 2012 World Series MVP's desire to bat right-handed all the more likely is the fact that manager John Farrell supports the notion wholehandedly. According to Farrell, the two have been discussing a potential change for over three weeks, and the manager has a history of entertaining these decisions as right fielder Shane Victorino switched from being a switch hitter to a solely right-handed one in 2013, the year in which Farrell guided the team to a World Series victory.
While whether a switch is inevitable or not remains to be seen, the fact of the matter is that Sandoval's production over the opening stanza of the season (five home runs, 17 RBIs, .335 OPB) has not met the expectations set aside for a batter making $17.6 million, which needs to change if the Red Sox plan on making a run for the top spot in the AL East.