Pablo Sandoval prepares to field a ball at Oracle Park on March 26, 2024, in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Suzanna Mitchell/San Francisco Giants/Getty Images)
The Staten Island FerryHawks of the Atlantic League announced on April 6 that they had signed Major League Baseball veteran infielder Pablo Sandoval for the 2024 season.
Sandoval, 37, was born in Puerto Cabello, Venezuela, and played 14 seasons in MLB with the San Francisco Giants from 2008-14 and 2017-20, the Boston Red Sox from 2015-17, and the Atlanta Braves from 2020-21.
The switch-hitter helped the Giants win their first three World Series championships in 2010, 2012, and 2014 since they arrived on the West Coast in 1958.
During his major league career, Sandoval was a two-time All-Star in 2011 and 2012 and won the World Series MVP in 2012, helping the franchise win its second championship in San Francisco.
Sandoval signed a minor league deal with the Giants on February 18 and was assigned to Triple-A Sacramento the same day.
He played in 16 games during spring training with San Francisco and batted .250 in 31 plate appearances, smacking seven hits, two RBI, two walks, and 14 strikeouts before he was released on March 27.
Sandoval played in the two-game Baseball United Showcase event at Dubai International Stadium, which was held during the last weekend this past November. Sandoval played with the BU-East All-Stars and hit the first “Moneyball” home run in baseball history during the second game of the Baseball United Showcase.
The Abu Dhabi Falcons drafted Sandoval in the first Baseball United Draft on October 23.
Sandoval has not played in a professional season since he played for the Cangrejeros de Santurce of the Liga de Béisbol Profesional Roberto Clemente in Puerto Rico during 2022-23.
Sandoval played 20 games during the 2022-23 regular season and hit .211 with 61 plate appearances, smacking 12 hits, two doubles, four RBI, two walks, and struck out 11 times in Puerto Rico.
Sandoval was also released by the Olmecas de Tabasco in Liga Mexicana de Béisbol on January 19, 2023, after playing with the organization for half of the 2022 regular season.
He last played in MLB in 2021 with Atlanta and batted .178. He played in 69 games with 86 plate appearances, recording 13 hits, four home runs, 11 RBI, 11 walks, 25 strikeouts, and a .645 OPS before the Braves put him on the restricted list on July 8, 2021.
During Sandoval’s 14 seasons in MLB, he has played in 1,380 games with a lifetime average of .278 in 5,052 plate appearances, recording 1,279 hits, 262 doubles, 21 triples, 153 home runs, 639 RBI, 12 stolen bases, 357 walks, 757 strikeouts, and a .773 OPS.
The Staten Island FerryHawks will play their first game of the 2024 Atlantic League regular season against the Charleston Dirty Birds on the road at 6:35 p.m. EST at Appalachian Power Park in Charleston, W.VA.