http://tinyurl.com/4atona4
San Francisco Giants third baseman Pablo Sandoval worked on his hitting with
Barry Bonds this offseason and got in shape with assistance from Olympic
decathlon champion Dan O'Brien and one of Bonds' trainers, according to the
San Francisco Chronicle.
The slimmed-down Sandoval said he completely changed his diet and did a lot
of running. And he admits the workouts weren't always pretty. He would sprint
up a mountain near Arizona State University and would vomit every time.
"I knew in the postseason already I had to change my body," Sandoval told
the newspaper. "I had to change my mind. I have to think like a pro now. For
all the things that happened with me in the postseason, I say thank you to
the Giants because they made me grow up in that situation."
Once he was in better shape, Sandoval worked on his hitting. After batting
.330 in 2009, Sandoval slipped to .268 last season. A big part of the problem
was Sandoval's free-swinging mentality and lack of patience.
Bonds, the majors all-time leader with 2,558 walks, told Sandoval to "look
for a pitch that I can catch with my hands, and throw like a punch with my
hands."
Sandoval's batting eye also might improve with the help of contact lenses. He
told the San Francisco Chronicle that he wore a contact lens in only his left
eye last season. After meeting with an optometrist, Sandoval will wear them
in both eyes this season.