Juan Sandoval’s path to the major leagues has been anything but ordinary. After nearly two decades pitching across the minors, Mexico, and winter leagues, and overcoming the loss of vision in his right eye, Sandoval has climbed every rung of professional baseball. Now, the former workhorse pitcher and longtime developmental coach has earned a spot on the Milwaukee Brewers’ MLB coaching staff, completing one of the most remarkable journeys in the sport.
Milwaukee Brewers reportedly promote Juan Sandoval to MLB staff
According to MLB reporter Mike Rodriguez, the Brewers are adding Sandoval to their big league coaching staff as a pitching coach. Sandoval is a former pitcher who logged 17 seasons between 2002 and 2019, all coming in the minor leagues or in foreign leagues.
According to my sources, the Dominican Juan Sandoval has been promoted to the position of pitching coach for the Milwaukee Brewers in Major League Baseball. #MLB #Brewers pic.twitter.com/M4g28S9kfT
— Mike Rodriguez (@mikedeportes) December 4, 2025
As you can imagine, Sandoval’s playing career was a winding, but resilient journey. Signed by the Mariners as an undrafted free agent in 2000, he steadily climbed the minor-league ladder as a durable starter before a life-altering 2006 accident left him blind in his right eye. According to Baseball Reference, in February 2006, he was the victim of a shooting at a restaurant in his native Dominican Republic, an innocent bystander caught in the crosshairs. Three shotgun pellets hit his right eye, leaving that eye permanently blind. He underwent two surgeries and missed that season.
Refusing to let that end his career, Sandoval reinvented himself as a reliever and went on to pitch at nearly every level of the minors, including time with the Brewers, Phillies, and Rays organizations, as well as several seasons in the Mexican League and various winter leagues
Since hanging up the cleats, Sandoval has reconnected with the Brewers, serving as a pitching coach in the Dominican Summer League. He now reportedly is finally getting a call to the big leagues, where he will be part of a highly regarded Milwaukee pitching staff that features Chris Hook and Jim Henderson.
Follow me on X @tylerkoerth. Follow us @WiSportsHeroics for more great up to date sports content. To read more of our articles and keep up to date on the latest in Wisconsin sports, click here!. We cover the Milwaukee Brewers, Green Bay Packers, Milwaukee Bucks, Wisconsin Badgers, LOVB-Madison, and Wisconsin High School Sports. Additionally we provide the latest news coverage on the NFL, and NBA in which you can follow Gridiron Heroics and Hardwood Heroics.
