SAN FRANCISCO -- When catcher Bengie Molina broke into the Major Leagues with the Anaheim Angels in 1999, he wasn't fortunate to find a mentor in the clubhouse.

Molina learned what he could from former Angels catchers Phil Nevin, Todd Greene and Charlie O'Brien, but none of them took him under his wings. Molina said it wasn't until current Angels manager Mike Scioscia, a former big league catcher himself, was hired in 2000 that he finally found a mentor.

Now, as the veteran catcher on the Giants, Molina finds himself in the role of mentor and he has welcomed the opportunity to teach and guide the next generation of Giants catchers. For catcher Pablo Sandoval, who had his contract purchased from Double-A Connecticut prior to Wednesday's game in Houston, the open invitation from Molina was the best thing he could've hoped for in his first stint with the Giants.

"I wasn't lucky to have someone to guide me when I came up with the Angels," Molina said. "But I'm going to treat Sandoval like a son. I already told him that I'm here for him and that I want to help him learn the game and guide him as much as I can."

Sandoval, a promising young switch-hitting catcher who has torn the cover off the baseball in the Giants farm system, said he couldn't be luckier to have Molina as a mentor. The 22-year-old Venezuelan has already made an impact with the bat for the Giants, knocking in a run in Monday's win against the Braves and going 5-for-12 (.437) with two RBIs in three games.

"I was lucky to learn a lot about catching in Single-A with Steve Decker as my coach," Sandoval said. "Now I'm just thrilled to be up here with a chance to play. I don't care if I play first base or catcher or wherever, I just want to help out and take advantage of this opportunity."

According to manager Bruce Bochy, Sandoval possess the tools to be an everyday player in the Majors, but the team is still trying to figure out where he will play. Sandoval was behind the plate Monday and split some time between catcher and first base Saturday.

"He's played some third and we're going to keep our options open. He's got good hands. You never know the way the game goes; if we can find a way to get his bat in there, we will," Bochy said. "He's handled himself well at the plate and defensively. The game he played at first, he showed some athleticism. He's been very impressive in the early going."

Sandoval hit .287 with 11 homers and 52 RBIs in 102 games with the Class A San Jose Giants last season, and in four-plus years in the Minors, he has hit .296 with 18 homers. Sandoval has been highly touted for his ability to hit, but he said he has really worked hard the last two years defensively in order to make himself a better all-around player.

According to Molina, Sandoval has all the tools to be a Major League catcher.

"He can throw, he hits for power and average and he wants to learn," Molina said. "I'm going to help him as much as I can. I want to work with him so that when he gets in there, he can help us win and be as prepared as possible.

The father-son relationship that Molina has taken with Sandoval can be attributed to Molina's past in which he had to learn the game on his own. Molina knows how hard it is to break into the Majors and he knows what it can mean to a player to have a veteran take him under his wings.

"Mike Scioscia changed my career. Scioscia had so much experience and knowledge and he taught me everything, and I'm grateful for that," Molina said. "I'm going to treat Pablo like a son and he knows that."