Meet Pablo Sandoval, new Red Sox third baseman

Pablo Sandoval grew up playing baseball in a two-car garage with balled up tape and his older brother, Michael.

Now, the Puerto Cabello, Venezuela, native will bring his three World Series rings to Boston.

The 28-year-old, nicknamed Kung Fu Panda, agreed to a deal with the Red Sox on Monday after seven seasons with the San Francisco Giants.

Here are some quick facts about the Sox’ newest power hitter:

■ Sandoval is a switch-hitter and can throw with both hands, but primarily throws with his right.

■ He is 5 foot 11 inches and 245 pounds.

■ The Giants organization signed him in 2003, but he didn’t make his minor league debut until the following season with the AZL Giants in Scottsdale, Ariz. He played for five minor league teams in about four and a half seasons.

■ He was called up on Aug. 13, 2008, and made his major league debut the next day against the Astros, going 0-for-3 and recording an RBI on a sacrifice fly.

■ He started at third base in 2009, and was used as Zito’s catcher at the start of the season as well as filling the backup catcher role behind Bengie Molina.

■ He struggled in 2010, which led to him being benched in the NLCS for Juan Uribe. In the 2010 World Series, he had just three at-bats.

■ After finishing the 2010 season at 278 pounds, Sandoval spent the offseason trimming down. At the start of spring training in 2011, he weighed in at 240 pounds. The Giants publicized his efforts as “Operation Panda.”

■ He is one of four players in MLB history to hit three home runs in a World Series game. The feat came in Game 1 of the 2012 series against the Tigers.

■ He plays in the Venezuelan Winter league for the Navengantes del Magallanes, which won the league title January 2013.

■ He is the first Venezuelan to win the World Series MVP.

■ In 2014, he batted .279 with 16 home runs and 73 RBIs in the regular season, and batted .366 with seven doubles and five RBIs in the postseason, helping the Giants secure their third championship in five seasons.

How ‘Kung Fu Panda’ came to be

Sandoval’s moniker was derived after the big fella went airborne over Dodgers’ catcher Danny Ardoin on Sept. 19, 2008.

The rotund third baseman scored on the play, and Giants pitcher Barry Zito dubbed him Kung Fu Panda, after the DreamWorks cartoon, Po.

Giants fans embraced the nickname, especially this season, sporting panda bear hats, T-shirts and other gear throughout their team’s run to another World Series.

Pablo Sandoval hit 16 home runs during the 2014 regular season.Morry Gash/AP

Career milestones

First walkoff home run: May 12, 2009, against the Nationals in a 9-7 win. “I was so excited, I could not sleep thinking about it,” he told the San Francisco Chronicle after the game.

First career grand slam: July 6, 2009

World Series titles: 2010, 2012, 2014

All-Star games: 2011, 2012

World Series MVP: 2012

Hit for the cycle: Sept., 15, 2011

Injuries

■ Bone spurs in elbow in early 2009 and didn’t play catcher for the Giants after.

■ Fractured hamate bone in left hand in May 2012. Had surgery and returned the following month.

■ Left hamstring injury in late July 2012 that landed him on the disabled list until mid-August.

■ Strained left foot (perineal tendon) in June 2013. Was on the DL for 15 days, and returned later in the month.

Minor league stats

Year	Team	AB	R	H	HR	RBI	BB	SO	BA	OBP	SLG	OPS
2004	AZL Giants	177	21	47	0	26	5	17	0.266	0.287	0.373	0.66
2005	Salem-Keizer	294	46	97	3	50	21	33	0.33	0.383	0.425	0.808
2006	Augusta	438	43	116	1	49	22	74	0.265	0.309	0.322	0.631
2007	San Jose	401	56	115	11	52	16	52	0.287	0.312	0.476	0.788
2008	Two teams	448	90	157	20	96	31	59	0.35	0.394	0.578	0.972
2008	San Jose	273	61	98	12	59	23	39	0.359	0.412	0.597	1.009
2008	Connecticut	175	29	59	8	37	8	20	0.337	0.364	0.549	0.913

Major League stats

Year	Team	AB	R	H	HR	RBI	BB	SO	BA	OBP	SLG	OPS
2008	Giants	145	24	50	3	24	4	14	0.345	0.357	0.49	0.847
2009	Giants	572	79	189	25	90	52	83	0.33	0.387	0.556	0.943
2010	Giants	563	61	151	13	63	47	81	0.268	0.323	0.409	0.732
2011	Giants	426	55	134	23	70	32	63	0.315	0.357	0.552	0.909
2012	Giants	396	59	112	12	63	38	59	0.283	0.342	0.447	0.789
2013	Giants	525	52	146	14	79	47	79	0.278	0.341	0.417	0.758
2014	Giants	588	68	164	16	73	39	85	0.279	0.324	0.415	0.739
Total		3215	398	946	106	462	259	464	0.294	0.346	0.465	0.811

Follow Rachel G. Bowers on Twitter @RachelGBowers.