Yesterday was the first day Pablo Sandoval worked out down at the Red Sox’ spring training complex. And a photo was taken of him that was less-than-flattering:

And so it begins.

What “it” is, of course, is premature worrying about a problem that may not be a problem. Because, yes, that may be a bad photo of Pablo Sandoval and, yes, in the past Sandoval has come under fire for being out of shape on occasion. But it’s also the case that (a) an “in shape” Pablo Sandoval is not the same thing as a thin Pablo Sandoval; and (b) one photo of a player on the first day of spring training does not establish, ipso facto, that he is out of shape. Or are we all forgetting “Fat Derek Jeter” and “Fat Chipper Jones?”

Obviously Sandoval is not Jeter or Jones, two athletes who were always in great shape. Indeed, it’s totally possible Sandoval is not in the shape the Red Sox want him to be in. And if he is not in shape, that is newsworthy.

But how about we wait for John Farrell or someone to say so based on their assessment of Mr. Sandoval rather than rely on the often unreliable method of looking at quick snapshots of a guy in a big t-shirt and calling him a fatty?

-- Craig Calcaterra, HardballTalk.com