Former Giants star Pablo Sandoval was once debarred by his team from ordering room service owing to his overeating habit
When Pablo Sandoval began the 2016 season with the Boston Red Sox, he faced a challenge that threatened to derail his MLB career.
The challenge was Sandoval's physique, and his habit of overeating, which many believed might have led to him being traded to the Red Sox at the end of the 2014 season.
While he was still with the San Francisco Giants in 2014, Sandoval underperformed severely. In his first 31 games of the season, he only had 6 RBIs; in the next 42 games, he only managed 27 RBI.
In a 2016 conversation with the radio host of "Toucher and Rich," Sean McAdams, a sports writer for Comcast Sports, said a lot about the situation. He recalled how the Giants had placed measures to stop Sandoval from overeating, which included calling the hotel's reception and telling them not to allow room service to Sandoval's room:
"If he calls down for room service at night after games, do not send anything to this room."
Reminds me of when Pablo Sandoval showed up to Red Sox spring training like this twitter.com/Jram2TBJ/statu… https://t.co/4OX2MuZEUf
The Giants tried their best to help Pablo Sandoval from overeating. However, they seemed unsuccessful, as the third baseman was still out of shape when he began the 2015 season with the Red Sox.
When Pablo Sandoval's ex-trainer compared him to an addict
In a 2016 interview with the Boston Herald, Pablo Sandoval's ex-trainer, Ethan Banning, had much to say about the third baseman's eating habits.
Banning compared Sandoval, who was nicknamed "Kung Fu Panda" by his Giants' teammate Barry Zito, to an addict and said the following about his weight issues:
"He needs to be smart enough to say there's a problem. It's like the alcoholic that won't admit he's an alcoholic: well, you can't address that you're an alcoholic if you don't ever admit there's a problem. He's got to address that."
He added:
"He's proven to me and shown consistently that he's got to have somebody like me holding his hand doing that. And it's not an exercise thing, it's an eating thing.
"Obviously exercise is an important factor in it, a very important factor, but eating is going to be the component that needs to be managed and monitored."
WALKOFFPablo Sandoval (12)
🎉WALKOFF🎉
Opponent: Chicago Cubs
Pitcher: Brad Brach
Date: 07/23/19
Distance: 356 ft https://t.co/IaNeglmiAy
Sandoval's former trainer was not happy with his eating habits. Banning wanted him to make a drastic change in his life. It appears he still needs to do so, as Pablo Sandoval weighed in at about 268 pounds in 2023 while playing in the Mexican League for the Olmecas de Tabasco.