Pablo Sandoval is predicting big things for Rafael Devers in San Francisco.
Though Sandoval struggled mightily as a member of the Red Sox, he won three World Series rings with the Giants. Speaking on KNBR in California, Sandoval raved about the addition of Devers for San Francisco.
“Unbelievable. Great. Fantastic,” Sandoval said. “If you know (president of baseball operations Buster Posey), Buster is a winner. He wants to put the right pieces in at the right time to complete and pull the team together to win. So I don’t got surprise that he got Devers. He’s a great guy. Great ballplayer. Great hitter. Great teammate.”
A big left-handed bat, Sandoval believes Devers will thrive at Oracle Park because of its dimensions. Away from the Pesky Pole, Fenway Park has a notoriously deep right field, so Sandoval thinks it’ll be easier for Devers to pull home runs in San Francisco.
“He’s going to love it because he can put the ball in play everywhere. He reminds me of myself,” Sandoval said. “He can hit the ball, fastball hitter. He can do damage at home plate. For me it was harder to hit the ball in Fenway because the right field (is deeper).”
Sandoval hit 135 home runs as a member of the Giants and 14 with the Red Sox, though he was in San Francisco for far longer and there was more in play than just ballpark dimensions.
Boston traded Devers on Sunday night for pitchers Jordan Hicks and Kyle Harrison and prospects James Tibbs and Jose Bello. Devers will be introduced as a Giant in a press conference at 5:30 p.m. EST on Tuesday afternoon.