As we say goodbye to Patrick Sandoval’s rookie eligibility, let’s see how he got to the majors and what we can expect now that he’s here.
- Born: October 18, 1996
- B/T: Left/Left
- 6’3″, 190-lbs
- Drafted by the Houston Astros in the 2015 June Amateur Draft from Mission Viejo HS (Mission Viejo, CA)
The Numbers
His raw numbers are listed above courtesy of baseball-reference.com. Let’s aggregate by year then focus on the important numbers for minor leaguers:
He got some interest in 2017, but 2018 is where he popped up on everyone’s radar with across-the-board improvement.
Then 2019 happened, and to be fair that’s mostly the AAA Pacific Coast League where friends don’t let friends pitch.
In the majors, over parts of two seasons, he has faced 255 batters and struck out about 20% of them while walking about 10% of them.
Yes, everyone hit him hard in Triple-A, but you’ll notice he faced just about double the number of righties as he did lefties, and the numbers also just about double. He gave up a few more hits to righties, and he struck out fewer than double of them too.
He has a four-pitch mix, with his curve used least of all. His best pitches are his four-seam FB and his changeup, and those are the pitches he leans on.
But his slider is getting more usage, almost as much as his changeup, so he is becoming a solid three-pitch guy with the occasional curve dropped in.
2017 wasn’t that bad overall, was it, and there’s that great 2018.
Then 2019 appears, and he starts out strong, and then the PCL takes its toll on him, before a trip to the majors.
He’s still figuring out the majors, but pitching adequately.
The Scouts
- Rotowire: #145 on their Top 400.
- BaseballHQ: Not on their Top 100.
- Fangraphs: Not on their Top 120.
- Fantasy Six Pack: Not on their dynasty list.
- Prospects365: Not on Ray Butler’s Top 200.
- Imaginary Brick Wall: #273 on the Top 487.
- Fantrax: Not on the Top 250.
Warnings
He’s not a top prospect, but he’s shown he can pitch in the majors. Just don’t expect more than a back-of-the-rotation type.
He needs to walk fewer batters.
Conclusion
2020 has seen him make five starts for the Angels as I write this. He has struck out 15% of the 103 batters he’s faced, and walked about 8% of them. But a 6.75 ERA and 1.544 WHIP shows his short-term downside. Once he cuts down on those walks, he’ll be a solid guy for the #4 slot.