Sandberg coming out from uncle’s shadow

PORTLAND – It’s not like it’s a bad thing to have the same last name and bloodlines as a Hall of Famer, especially if you’re a baseball player.

But even now, there are still times when Portland Sea Dogs infielder Jared Sandberg wouldn’t mind if his last name was Smith.

“It’s not bad. It can only help having a Hall of Fame name like Sandberg. I’m not saying I got where I am today because I’m his nephew, but it’s not a bad thing,” said Sandberg. “I still had to make a name for myself.”

The Olympia, Wash., native did that fairly early in his 10-year professional career.

“When I was drafted, that’s one thing I wanted to do is make a name for myself as early as possible,” the 27-year-old third baseman said. “My second year, I was the MVP of Rookie ball and that helped launch Jared Sandberg out of the shadow of Ryne Sandberg.”

Oh yeah, did you know he’s the nephew of the Chicago Cubs second baseman who will be enshrined in baseball’s Hall of Fame later this summer? If you didn’t, don’t feel bad. It’s not something the soft-spoken Tampa resident advertises.

It’s just not his style and that’s not surprising considering the odyssey his baseball career has become. The 6-foot-3, 210-pound Sandberg first made it to the Majors in 2001 after stints with seven minor league teams in four different leagues over five years. He batted .206 in 39 games and was sent back down.

Sandberg’s breakout year came a year later when he was called up by the Tampa Bay Devil Rays to replace the released Bobby Smith and started 99 of the remaining 130 games. Despite the late start, he finished third on the team in home runs with 18 and drove in 54 runs while batting .229. He led the Rays in homers in the months of June and July, but despite that success, he split the 2003 season between Tampa Bay and Triple A Durham and spent all of last season in Durham, becoming the Devil Rays’ all-time minor league home run leader with 113 and RBI man with 473.

He was released in the offseason, invited to the Washington Nationals spring training camp, and then cut just before the start of the 2005 season. A few days later, the Boston Red Sox came calling with a spot in Double A Portland.

“I didn’t know where my career was going. When the Red Sox offered me a place in Double A, it was definitely an eye-opener, but I needed to go play and put up numbers somewhere,” he said.

And he has. Sandberg made the first all-star game in his pro career as a starter in the Eastern League All-Star Game last week.

“The thing is, if I do put up good numbers, people will say I was supposed to do that. If I don’t, people will say I’m done,” said Sandberg.

Well, the numbers say he’s anything but done. Through Monday, Sandberg was hitting .240 with 16 homers and 57 RBIs in 88 games.

“There’s no reason why, with hard work and a little tweaking on his swing, he can’t get back to the big leagues,” Claus said. “He’s 27 and there are guys who get to the big leagues playing three more years of minor league ball. I’m sure he’ll tell you not to give up the dream and he’s not going to quit.”

Sandberg has also been an invaluable resource for the younger players on the squad.

“There’s a respect factor that goes along with being an older player and they can try to tap into some of my knowledge,” he said. “I’ve learned what it was all about being in Triple A the last four years. Those older guys helped me, so I can help the younger players coming up through Double A.”

That doesn’t mean Sandberg’s a babysitter. Claus bristles at speculation that the Red Sox signed him simply to be a mentor for younger players.

“I don’t look at him as a pawn or someone put in place to help our young guys,” said Sea Dogs manager Todd Claus. “He’s accepted his role and really done a great job with leadership and as far as tools, the guy’s got 16 home runs, he can play the corners and can play the outfield in emergency situations.

“He can certainly help someone in the majors.”

Andrew Neff can be reaches at 990-8205, 1-800-310-8600, or at aneff@bangordailynews.net