Pablo Sandoval Slims Down, Sharpens Focus in Winter Workouts

SAN FRANCISCO -- Pablo Sandoval went into the most critical winter of his young career needing to change his body and his swing.

If the people he sought for help are any indication, Sandoval has a chance to succeed.

During a much anticipated visit to AT&T Park for a media event on Friday, Sandoval revealed a slimmer body and he said he'd been working with Barry Bonds and former decathlete Dan O'Brien.

Bonds, putting all the baggage aside, knows a thing or two about hitting, specifically how to be disciplined. His message to Sandoval was simple: "Get a pitch you can drive. Put the barrel on the ball."

Sandoval initially said he had worked out with Bonds, but then he said he'd only talked to Bonds. Sandoval never played with Bonds in the majors, but the connection was fitness coach Greg Oliver, who was a member of Bonds' entourage of trainers. Oliver and O'Brien have worked with Sandoval on his fitness.

Sandoval clearly appeared lighter as he greeted the media. He said he's lost "a lot" of weight, but he wouldn't say how much. He said the number would be revealed when he reports for the start of spring training in two weeks.

All of this came about because Sandoval had a miserable season last year, hitting .268 with just 13 homers, after hitting .333 in his first full season, in 2009. Sandoval was also worse at third base. It was so bad that Sandoval lost his starting job in the postseason. After it was over, Giants GM Brian Sabean said publicly that Sandoval needed to shape up or he might be sent to the minors.

The Giants have Mark DeRosa as a fallback if Sandoval can't win the starting third base job.

Over the winter, Sandoval refused to talk publicly about his transformation. On Friday, though, the Giants put him at a podium in a formal press conference, where he answered in detail about what he's done.

"If I wanted to keep playing in the big leagues, I had to make a big decision," Sandoval said. "I had to try get in good shape or lose my job. This year I'm putting my mind in the game."

Sandoval, 24, said the Giants' message in the postseason and after was loud and clear.

"I knew in the postseason I had to change my body, change my mind and think like a pro," he said. "I say thank you to the Giants because they made me grow up in that situation."

Sandoval has been in the Phoenix area working out with a team of trainers who have him running up "A Mountain" on the Arizona State campus. Sandoval said the workout has caused him to throw up a few times, one of which was captured for the upcoming Giants documentary on Showtime.

He said he's changed his diet, eating more vegetables and smaller portions. He said he avoids carbs, and he's had "no soda." He also hired a chef to make his meals at his apartment in San Francisco.

Whether it sticks is a different question. Sandoval got in shape in November 2009 after going through a personal weight-loss camp ("Operation Panda") run by the Giants, but the results were short-lived. He admitted he stopped working out during the season.

This time, he said, it'll be different.

"This is going to be an important year for me," he said. "I want to come to try to get a job in spring training. ... This is going to be my year. I went through a lot of things last year that I want to leave there. This is a new year."