Hunter Pence, Right Field, Retired


Date of Birth: 4/13/1983
Birthplace: Fort Worth, Texas
College: University of Texas at Arlington
Nickname: Captain Underpants

Hunter Pence, retired right fielder, was first drafted in 2002 by the Milwaukee Brewers but he didn't sign with them. Two years later, while in college, he was drafted by the Houston Astros. He played in the Astros' minor league system from 2004 through part of 2007, finishing with a .304 batting average.

In 2007, his first season with the Astros, Pence batted .322 with 147 hits, 30 doubles, 17 home runs, and 69 RBIs in 108 games. He continued playing with the Astros until July, 2011, when they traded him to the Philadelphia Phillies. That season turned out to be one of Pence's best. He batted .314 with a career high 190 hits, a career high 38 doubles, 22 home runs, and 97 RBIs in a total of 154 games (100 games with the Astros, 54 games with the Phillies).

Pence was with the Phillies for just a year when they traded him to the San Francisco Giants in July, 2012. That season, he played in 101 games with the Phillies and 59 games with the Giants. He batted just .253 but he had a career high 104 RBIs. In 2013, Pence batted .283 with 178 hits, 35 doubles, a career high 27 home runs, and 99 RBIs in 162 games.

Pence signed a five-year, $90 million contract extension with the San Francisco Giants in September, 2013. He had a strong 2014 season, finishing with 180 hits, 29 doubles, 10 triples, 20 home runs, 74 RBIs, 13 stolen bases, and a .277 batting average. In the postseason, he had 22 hits, 6 doubles, 1 home run, 8 RBIs, 2 stolen bases, and a .333 batting average in 66 at-bats in 17 games.

Pence started the 2015 season on the DL with a fractured forearm. He came off the DL on May 16th but he was back on it on June 11th, this time with wrist tendinitis. He finished the season with 57 hits and a .275 batting average in 52 games. As a right fielder in 51 games, he made 122 putouts and 3 errors.

Pence batted .289 in 106 games in 2016. He finished the season with 114 hits, 23 doubles, 13 home runs, and 57 RBIs. Defensively, as the Giants' right fielder in 102 games, he made 193 putouts and no errors. In the postseason, he batted .182 with 4 hits in 22 at-bats in 5 games.

In 2017, Pence batted .260 in 134 games. He had 128 hits, 13 doubles, 13 home runs, 67 RBIs, and 102 strikeouts to 40 walks. Defensively, as the Giants' right fielder in 125 games, he made 256 putouts and 1 error.

Pence batted .226 with 53 hits in 97 games in 2018. Defensively, he played 44 games in left field and 12 games in right field.

Pence became a free agent on October 29, 2018. He signed a minor league contract with the Texas Rangers on February 7, 2019. He spent time on the DL in 2019 with a right groin strain and with lower back strain. He finished the season with 85 hits, 17 doubles, 18 home runs, 69 strikeouts to 26 walks, and a .297 batting average in 83 games. Defensively, he played 16 games in left field and 8 games in right field.

Pence became a free agent on October 31, 2019. He re-signed with the Giants on February 7, 2020. The Giants released him on August 24th, after playing in just 17 games with them.

Pence retired on September 26, 2020.

Statistics for Pence in fourteen seasons (2007-2020) in the major leagues include:

  • 7 seasons with over 150 hits, with a high of 190 in 2011
  • 4 seasons with 30 or more doubles, with a high of 38 in 2011
  • 7 seasons with 20 or more home runs, with a high of 27 in 2013
  • 2 seasons with a batting average over .300, with a high of .322 in 2007

Career batting statistics for Pence through 2020 include:

  • 1,707 games played
  • 1,791 hits
  • 324 doubles
  • 244 home runs
  • 942 RBIs
  • 120 stolen bases
  • 1,335 strikeouts to 520 walks
  • .279 batting average

Career fielding statistics for Pence as a right fielder through 2020 include:

  • 1,420 games played
  • 3,263 putouts
  • 48 errors
  • .986 fielding percentage

Personal Life

In 2013, Pence was diagnosed with Scheuermann's disease, a spinal disorder.

Sources for Information
Wikipedia - Hunter Pence
ESPN - Hunter Pence