Sandoval has more hits, runs, walks, and a higher batting average and the same OPS. He also has ten fewer strikeouts with two more ABs. Does two more home runs really suggest to you that Middlebrooks is going to outperform Sandoval over the entire season? Sandoval has been an integral part of three World Series teams in the past five years. I'm pretty sure Will Middlebrooks once struck out on a check-throw to first. He's an okay player, but Sandoval is definitely an upgrade, and I can almost guarantee that Sandoval will lead or be near-even with WMB in every major offensive category by the time the other 65% of the season is over.