Over the holiday weekend, MLB players informed their local ball stadiums for “Summer Camp” to prepare for a shorter 2020 baseball season. Most of the news focused on players who tested positive for COVID-19 or considering whether to opt out of the season due to health issues.
But when practice began, another question for reporters was whether the players had kept fit during the MLB’s three-month shutdown. With team complexes and public gyms closed, players without their own facilities had to take the initiative to stay in shape on their own, perhaps with the help of other athletes organizing training.
For players like Pablo Sandoval, showing up at training ground in good shape for the baseball season has often been a question. The 12-year veteran has struggled with his weight throughout his MLB career, making his fitness a story before every season. Would “Kung Fu Panda” be reduced or did he have work to do during preseason training?
Athletic’s Andrew Baggarly seemed to definitely answer that negative question when he tweeted a photo of Sandoval with considerable padding around his midsection. The Giants third reserve baseman apparently didn’t quarantine in the best shape of his life.
Pablo Sandoval is taking land at third base. His releases seem to have good bearing. pic.twitter.com/Lrk5ltofyl
– Andrew Baggarly (@extrabaggs) July 4, 2020
As expected, many fans and some media had unflattering things to say about Sandoval’s condition. (I also joined and am overweight).
Perhaps the angle of the camera was not flattering (Baggarly admitted taking the photo with his iPhone through binoculars). Perhaps Sandoval could have worn a looser shirt. But the photo also made it clear that Sandoval reported being overweight from summer camp, making his condition a story once again.
The next day, Baggarly said he regretted tweeting the photo, expressing the shameful attitude of most of the responses.
After seeing the reaction to the Pablo Sandoval photo I shared yesterday, I would like to express a few things. Start with this: Denigrating or dehumanizing anyone for their weight or appearance is totally unacceptable. (thread)
– Andrew Baggarly (@extrabaggs) July 5, 2020
However, Baggarly had to know that would be the answer, right? No, maybe he wasn’t expecting the sheer number of direct insults, but many fans have often objected to any athlete being paid millions of dollars that don’t show a commitment to perform at their best. (Sandoval was due to earn $ 2 million this season, now reduced to approximately $ 740,000 in prorated salary.)
Sandoval’s job is to be ready to play baseball, and judging by that photo, he’s not where he should be. And it’s Baggarly’s job to report that.
So why attach the photo? Because I’m one of, like, a dozen members of the media who can watch these practice sessions, and it’s my job to report what the players look like. Instead of commenting on Sandoval’s condition, I attached the photo so that readers could decide for themselves.
– Andrew Baggarly (@extrabaggs) July 5, 2020
Sure, Sandoval has shown that he can play well with more weight than most other players. (For what it’s worth, he had a good 2019 season, hitting .268 with an .820 OPS, 14 home runs, 23 doubles and 41 RBI in 296 plate appearances.) But being out of shape raises doubts and creates an easy narrative if not done.
Of course, there is a difference between pointing out that a player is overweight and insulting his appearance, which is why Baggarly voiced his objections. (At the time, I thought his comment on Sandoval’s pitches with good bearing was sarcastic, but Baggarly reminded readers that third baseman is getting Tommy John surgery on his right elbow.)
Above all, I am disgusted by the ugliness and fat embarrassment of the “media entities” who co-opted the tweet into petty click content. I would encourage those people to do a little soul searching and personal growth. And until that happens, stop calling yourself journalists.
– Andrew Baggarly (@extrabaggs) July 5, 2020
Baggarly was also offended by the media and Twitter accounts that consider themselves “media” making mocking comments about Sandoval, rather than reporting that he did not appear to be in proper shape to play baseball. Drawing a line between their reporting and lobbying insults has a slight indication that the mainstream media denigrated bloggers in the 2000s.
But what has become clear in this era of “fake news” detractors is that many fail to distinguish between established and trusted media sources and clickbait outlets that have no interest or obligation to report facts. It’s understandable that Baggarly wants a certain distance between his work and most of what was gathered on social media and blogs after Sandoval’s photo was posted.
However, it also seems a bit naive that someone thinks that would not happen when online speech has been as ugly as ever. As many of us like to say these days, read the room. That photo of Sandoval was intended to elicit an unpleasant response.
