NEW YORK — One year ago Friday, the Giants had themselves a bouncing, new baby Panda. And life hasn’t been the same since.

Pablo Sandoval made his major league debut on Aug. 14 last season at Houston, and in 365 days (or 149 games, if that suits you better), here’s what he has done: .333 average, 185 hits, 20 home runs, 92 RBI, 43 doubles, four triples and a .906 OPS (on-base plus slugging percentage).
In more qualitative terms, an extraordinary year.
He has established himself as an everyday player, an elite hitter and a legitimate middle-of-the-order presence.
He also is starting to establish himself in another way, too: as a leader.
To find evidence of Sandoval’s stature on the club, look no further than his heated exchange with Los Angeles Dodgers catcher Russell Martin on Wednesday. Giants shortstop Edgar Renteria, a decorated veteran, shot out of the dugout to defend Sandoval, and the rest of the team quickly followed.
“I love that kid,” catcher Bengie Molina said last week. “And I don’t worry about him. He’s going to do great things in this game.”
Batting titles are great things. If Sandoval can catch Florida’s Hanley Ramirez, “Panda” would be the first NL player to win a batting crown in his first full season since Tony Gwynn in 1984.
But Sandoval isn’t tracking the averages from one day to the next.
“I don’t care about numbers,” said Sandoval, who turned 23 on Tuesday. “I care about what I do on the field every day. I’m a competition guy. I like the pressure. I want to show everybody we can do this. We can make the playoffs and go to the World Series. We need to win one series at a time.”
Sandoval’s numbers aren’t empty. Of his 17 home runs this season, eight have given the Giants a lead.
He isn’t a quiet rookie. Sandoval jabbers constantly in the dugout, cheers on teammates as if it’s a Little League game and is always quick with congratulations — usually a choreographed dance collection of high-fives, hip thrusts and facial expressions.
But while he likes to talk, he doesn’t plan any formal speeches.
“Nah,” he said. “I’ve only got one year. I respect the older guys in here. When they say something, I go do it.”
Sandoval is still prone to a rookie mistake every now and then, particularly on the basepaths. Undoubtedly, he heard a word or two after he posed out of the batter’s box on his double in the ninth inning Wednesday, which might have cost him an extra base and the Giants a run.
Note: The Giants are 23-32 on the road this season, the 12th-worst record among the 16 teams in the National League. If they hope to contend deep into September, they will have to reverse that trend beginning Friday, when they start a season-long 11-game trip to play the New York Mets, Cincinnati Reds and Colorado Rockies, who hold a 11?2-game lead over the Giants atop the wild card race.