Is divorce getting to Pablo Sandoval?

He used to be known as the Kung Fu Panda — and could do no wrong by Giants fans. These days, San Francisco third baseman Pablo Sandoval has taken on a few new nicknames and can’t seem to do anything right.

Sandoval, who some tweeps have started referring to as Fatblo or Panda Excess, is in a colossal funk. And if the Giants (46-41) hope to make a serious run at the Wild Card or NL West division crown, they are going to need the Pablo-of-old to return.

It’s important to remember that Sandoval is still just 23 years old. Suffice to say, Major League pitchers have found his weakness. They’ve adjusted to him. And now he needs to adjust back.

First of all, Sandoval needs to improve his plate discipline (and I’m not just talking about baseball here). The 260-pounder, who actually looks a little heavier than he did when he came into camp supposedly 20 pounds lighter, has always been a free swinger. And for the past two seasons, when he batted .333/.381/.543, pitchers mostly challenged him down the middle of the strike zone and tried to overpower him with fastballs. And Sandoval feasted (no pun intended).

Now, pitchers are throwing him junk. Sliders inside. Chin-high fastballs. Curve balls in the dirt. And for some reason, Panda is happily swinging (and missing) away.

One other possible reason for the drop in productivity might be the fact that Sandoval is in the middle of what appears to be a nasty divorce. According to Giants’ beat writer Hank Schulman, the divorce has weighed heavily (again, no pun intended) on Pablo and that he could not divulge much more than that.

If that’s true — if Sandoval is in the middle of a divorce — I feel for him (and his young daughter). I really do. I got married young once. I was 21 years old. The marriage lasted less than five years. During the divorce (and custody battle), I lost my job, a ton of money and most of my friends. I went into a serious funk. I think they call it depression now. The truth is, I was totally consumed by it at the time. It’s all I thought about when I woke up and went to bed. So if that’s what’s gotten into Pablo, I understand completely.

I’m not going to throw in some kind of “but you’re making tons of money, so you need to get over it” bullshit, because — unless you have been through it yourself — you know it’s not something you can really get over, especially when there are young children involved. Remember, Sandoval’s still just 23.

As for the Giants, they need a bat. They need someone who can help that lineup score runs. As much as Buster Posey has convinced the world he’s God, he’s not and he will go into another slump. So will Aubrey Huff. So will Travis Ishikawa and so will Andres Torres. It’s inevitable in baseball. It happens to every ball player. And when it happens to Posey, the Giants are going to need someone else to step up to the plate.

This is where you might hear me talk about how the Giants should trade for Prince Fielder or Hanley Ramirez (and if they did, that would certainly help). But at the risk of decimating our starting rotation and farm system, I don’t think Brian Sabean has the balls (or skill) to pull the trigger on a deal that large.

Besides, we have a bona fide Major League bat ready to bust out: Pablo Sandoval. I hope Sandoval takes some time off to clear his head during the All-Star break. We could use a fresh dose of Pandamonium in the second half.

RELATED: For an in-depth look at Sandoval’s punchless first half, check out Fangraph blogger David Golebiewski’s analysis here.