How They Got Here: The Story of the 2012 San Francisco Giants Part 30

How They Got Here: The San Francisco Giants is a one-by-one look at how each member of the 2012 World Series Champion San Francisco Giants found their way to the squad. We'll look at all of the players on the roster, as well as notable players who did not make the postseason roster for whatever reason and the coaching staff and general manager. Part thirty wraps up the player segment with World Series hero Pablo Sandoval. 

Pablo Sandoval was born on August 11, 1986, in Puerto Cabello, Venezuela. He attended Cento Estudio in Carabobo, Venezuela, and later went undrafted, signing as an amateur free agent with the San Francisco Giants in 2003 at the age of sixteen. He first appeared in the minor leagues during the 2004 season, playing in the Rookie-level Arizona League with the Giants affiliate there. He worked as a catcher with in the Arizona League, hitting .266 with twenty-six runs batted in. He also hit five triples, which was impressive for someone of his larger stature. He made a jump to the Class A Short Season Northwest League in 2005, where he played for the Salem-Keizer Volcanoes in Oregon. He made the transition to third base at this time, an unusual position for a left-handed person. Sandoval had taught himself to be ambidextrous, allowing him to be versatile in the field. With the Volcanoes, he posted a .330 batting average as well as three home runs and fifty runs batted in. His slow but steady progress continued into 2006, as he advanced to the Class A South Atlantic League to play with the Augusta Greenjackets of Augusta, Georgia. His numbers fell off a bit, as he hit only .265 with one home run and forty-nine runs batted in. Still, he earned a promotion for the 2007 season to play with the San Jose Giants of the Class A Advanced California League. He improved here, posting a .287 batting average while smacking eleven home runs, hitting five triples, and driving in fifty-two runs. He began the 2008 season here, appearing in sixty-eight games in which he hit .359 with twelve home runs and fifty-nine runs batted in before a promotion to the Class AA Connecticut Defenders of the Easter League in Norwich, Connecticut. Over the next forty-four games, Sandoval hit to a .337 batting average as well as eight home runs and thirty-seven runs batted in. He earned a major league call up, making his debut with San Francisco on August 14th. He was an everyday player here, playing at both third base and catcher, as well as first base. He hit .345 in forty-one games, while hitting three home runs (the first coming on August 27th), and twenty-four runs batted in. One particular play occurred when Sandoval was attempting to score, eventually being successful in dodging the tag from the catcher. Barry Zito promptly game him the nickname Kung-Fu Panda for his surprising agility. He became the everyday third baseman in 2009, while also working at catcher and first base. Sandoval had a very good season, hitting .330 while adding twenty-five home runs and ninety runs batted in during a breakout year, and highlights included his first grand slam on July 6th and his first splash hit (a San Francisco-area term for home runs hit into McCovey Cove, which is located beyond the outfield) on July 30th. Sandoval struggled more in 2010, as he had added weight and became less effective with his bat. He hit only .268 with just thirteen home runs and sixty-three runs batted in during the year, and appeared in only six postseason games during the Giants playoff run that year. With only three hits in seventeen at-bats, Sandoval was mostly an afterthought during the run, with Juan Uribe manning third base in his place as the Giants beat the Atlanta Braves, Philadelphia Phillies, and Texas Rangers for the World Series title. He still received the World Series Champion title, but it was far from earned in the eyes of some. Sandoval came back in 2011 much more fit, having dropped thirty pounds during the Giants' Operation Panda campaign. His season stalled in late April after he broke his hamate bone, requiring a month and a half layoff. He made his rehabilitation appearances with San Jose and also the Fresno Grizzlies of the Class AAA Pacific Coast League before rejoining San Francisco on June 14th. He was named to the All-Star Game for the first time despite missing such significant time with the injury. He ended the year hitting .315 while hitting twenty-three home runs and seventy runs batted in during the shorter season, and his biggest highlight of the year came on September 15th, when he hit for the cycle, another impressive feat for the large third baseman. He continued his success in 2012, although he again missed most of May and part of June due to injury. Regardless of that, he made another All-Star Game, starting at third base. He put his name in the history books with the first ever bases-loaded triple in All-Star Game history off of Justin Verlander, helping pace the National League to their 8-0 victory. He ended the regular season hitting .283 with twelve home runs and sixty-three runs batted in, a down year for him but still very valuable. He was not an afterthought in the San Francisco postseason run this time. He appeared in every postseason game for San Francisco, hitting .333 with one home run and three runs batted in against the Cincinnati Reds in the National League Division Series. He then worked to a .360 batting average with two home runs and six timely runs batted in during the National League Championship Series. When the Giants faced elimination in the NLCS, Sandoval provided at least one run batted in over each of the three games. Sandoval's iconic moment, and arguably the best moment of the postseason (despite my deep appreciation for Marco Scutaro, the following feat by Sandoval was slightly better) game in Game 1 of the World Series against the Detroit Tigers. Facing the same pitcher as he had when he hit the triple in the All-Star Game, Sandoval again tormented Justin Verlander by hitting two of his three home runs for the game off of him. The three-home run game placed him in the company of Babe Ruth, Reggie Jackson, and Albert Pujols as the only players to accomplish the feat in a World Series game, and he was the only one to do it in his first three at-bats. He ended the World Series as the Most Valuable Player, hitting .500 against the Tigers with three home runs and four runs batted in (all of the latter in Game 1 alone), as the Giants swept Detroit to give Sandoval his second World Series title. And this time he can say he earned it.

Follow me on Twitter @KipperScorpion, and don't think this series is over yet. There are three more posts to come, detailing some of the behind-the-scenes figures that helped the Giants get where they are.