With the loss of Buster Posey for the year the San Francisco Giants are looking for solutions to fill the holes left behind with his departure. Eli Whiteside can't catch everyday, and Chris Stewart isn't looking like a solid backup, so what are the Giants to do? Well, Kung Fu Panda might just be the answer.
That's right, Pablo Sandoval is reportedly being considered an option as the backup catcher for Whiteside. And if you think about it, it might prove to be another very savvy move by skipper Bruce Bochy. Pablo played 176 games at catcher during his minor league career, compared to his 155 at first and only 92 at third. In fact, during Pablo's last year in the minors (2008) he played zero games at third, only 19 at first, and 83 behind the dish, so Pablo definitely has experience.
It also frees up the Giants options in the infield, with the ability to give players like Manny Burriss, Mike Fontenot, and Brandon Crawford more innings, Miguel Tejada and possibly Mark DeRosa (BIG possibly there) time at third, and even the ability to put Aubrey Huff at third and Brandon Belt at first. It really gives Bochy a number of more lineup permutations to throw out there.
Obviously everyone would rather have Buster back there, but Pablo could prove to be a terrific fix for the Giants catching situation.