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Red Sox say Pablo Sandoval in better shape than you think

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FORT MYERS, Fla. — The Red Sox doubled down on their defense of Pablo Sandoval Wednesday, saying the third baseman actually lowered his body fat percentage from last season.

"The main thrust in his offseason program was about agility and conditioning," said principal owner John Henry. "He came in with a body fat ratio of 17 percent, substantially down from last year. That's what we were really looking for.

"I don't think we'll ever see a thin Pablo. I know the focus is on his weight. Our focus is on the ability to field the ball and throw the ball, hit the ball.

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"I think he has six weeks, as does everyone else, to get in first-class playing shape. Part of what spring training is about. We have every expectation that he will."

According to publications by the Mayo Clinic, the average body fat for a man ranges from 18-24 percent. Sandoval would fall into the "good fitness" category based on that scale.

Sandoval had a much higher percentage last season, according to Henry.

"I don't know for a fact, but I was told it was 21," he said.

Sandoval later told reporters he was at 23 percent and was now at 17 percent.

Regardless of the numbers being used by the Red Sox and their accuracy, what ultimately matters is whether he can again be a productive player.

Henry said he watched Sandoval play in the field during Wednesday's workout and came away impressed.

"He looked good playing third," Henry said. "He carries a lot of weight. Hopefully that will be addressed in spring training."

Manager John Farrell and members of his coaching staff also have complimented Sandoval's early work in camp. Infield instructor Brian Butterfield said Sandoval is moving better laterally than he was at any point last season.

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Sandoval's condition has become an ongoing saga, with the team feeding the news cycle. He reported to camp Sunday in what appeared to be poor condition. But he claimed to have worked hard and wasn't told to lose weight by the Sox.

On Monday, president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski and manager John Farrell defended Sandoval, saying he was in better condition than it appeared and that he was not told to lose any specific amount of weight.

"He's never going to be svelte," Dombrowski said.

Team chairman Tom Werner took his turn Tuesday, telling reporters that he agreed with Dombrowski and Farrell.

"I think they've handled it well internally," Werner said. "From my own perspective and the organization's perspective, what he does starting [Opening Day] is what's important."

Less than hour later, while appearing on WEEI, Werner said he was disappointed in Sandoval's condition.

Henry, who also owns the Globe, was pragmatic in his defense of Sandoval.

"I'm not going to talk about his weight," he said. "I understand [the media is] focused on that. I'm more focused on his ability to play third base.

"We want him to be able to hit and field. It's important that both our corner [infielders] are agile and that's what we're working on."

Sandoval took batting practice with the notably physically fit Dustin Pedroia and Xander Bogaerts Wednesday. With the wind blowing in, Sandoval was the only one of the group to regularly drive pitches over the fence. One ball made a loud bang when it crashed into a wall of the batting cages in right field.

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"Keep doing what you're doing Pablo!" yelled a fan watching from behind the backstop.

Sandoval smiled and waved.

John Henry says Red Sox will rely less on analytics

Red Sox principal owner John Henry said the team was deemphasizing its reliance on analytics in making major decisions. (Video by Alex Lancial)


Peter Abraham can be reached at pabraham@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter @PeteAbe.