Pence has mind right on left field
Hunter Pence had a busy offseason. He went to Greece, opened a coffee shop, made video-game challenges to Stephen Curry and LeBron James — one of whom accepted — and recruited Giancarlo Stanton to play for the Giants.
Even though Stanton would have played Pence’s position.
“Hey @Giancarlo818, can you imagine our Powers combined?! #ComeBashInTheBay”
Pence’s Dec. 5 tweet was accompanied by Halloween pictures of Stanton as Popeye and Pence as Napoleon Dynamite. Six days later, after Stanton rejected a deal to the Giants, he was traded by the Marlins to the Yankees.
But Pence had made his point. He would be flexible as the Giants rearranged their defense and would be willing to move out of right field without causing a stir, making it easier for the Giants to fill their holes.
On Jan. 15, the Giants traded for longtime Pirates center fielder Andrew McCutchen, proclaimed him the starting right fielder and said Pence would slide to left.
Pence, who was in town for Saturday’s FanFest at AT&T Park, was all in after hearing from manager Bruce Bochy the day of the trade.
“It’s exciting. It brings almost a new zest to coming to the ballpark,” Pence said. “There are a lot of things to work on. Every stadium we go to now, I get to go out and inspect everything, kind of feel out how it plays, check out the angles (in left) after seeing the same angles (in right) year after year.
“I think it’s going to be a lot of fun to have a whole new perspective. It’s kind of refreshing on the mind. It’s an exciting challenge that I anticipate.”
Pence, who turns 35 in April, remains the most optimistic Giant, even after a horrid 98loss season in which he put up the worst numbers of his 11-year career, if OPS is the indicator. His .315 on-base percentage and .385 slugging percentage were career lows.
It’s not as if Pence had a choice in the defensive realignment, nor is he guaranteed an abundance of playing time — he was part of offseason trade rumors as the Giants looked to move payroll — but his willingness to be open to a late-career transition was welcomed.
It wasn’t so easy two years ago after the Giants signed Denard Span to play center and asked Angel Pagan to move from center to left. It was a sensitive matter, and it was tough for Pagan — who, like Pence, was approaching his 35th birthday and final year of his contract — to swallow his pride. He needed constant pats on the back from manager Bruce Bochy, who was careful with his words to the media whenever he was asked about Pagan.
Conversely, management never thought it would be an issue with Pence, who right away was open to the change despite never playing left field in the big leagues except for five innings of the 2011 All-Star Game.
“It’s basically just the inverse of right field,” Pence said. “Think of looking in a mirror. Basically, right-handed hitters hit to left field similar to how left-handed hitters hit to right field. I’m going to get plenty of time in spring training to see plenty of that.”
As open as he was to Stanton taking his position, Pence was equally accepting of McCutchen replacing him, knowing he’d still get an opportunity in left. Austin Slater and Gregor Blanco could be in the left-field mix, but the Giants would greatly benefit with a bounce-back year from Pence, a key piece to two World Series titles who has had his career sidetracked with injuries.
The day of the McCutchen trade, Pence tweeted him a message, accompanied by a video of the ex-Pirate running alongside two China Basin seagulls:
McCutchen played virtually his entire career in center, where he won a Gold Glove in 2012, and didn’t appear at another position until getting 13 games in right field last season, a taste of what’s to come in 2018.
“The biggest adjustment for Pence going from right to left is the trajectory,” McCutchen said, “the way the ball comes off the bat. It’ll be diving and hooking as opposed to fading. He’s going to have a lot to learn, and I’m going to have a lot to learn as well.”
Pence tweaked his offseason conditioning, which was geared toward flexibility, core strength and body alignment (keeping all the moving parts in sync), and said he feels refreshed after experiencing further hamstring issues last season.
“My expectations are, I’m going to be able to handle a lot more,” Pence said.
During free time between offseason workouts in Houston, Pence (with his wife, Alexis) put in time at their new coffee shop, Coral Sword, which opened Feb. 2 and features coffee and gaming, his two favorite pastimes, along with board games, comic books, pizza, drinks including beer and wine, and a content studio.
When the Warriors were in Houston to play the Rockets last month, Curry dropped by the cafe to play a few rounds of Mario Kart with Pence, Alexis and others. It was livestreamed, and Pence handled Curry fairly easily.
A bit later on social media, Pence challenged James in Mario Kart. No response.
“The Warriors were playing the Rockets, and Steph came on a whim,” Pence said. “It was fun. It’s fun to do something you enjoy.”
That’s the intent on the diamond as Pence transitions to left field, where he played 40 games in the minors. The only time he played the position in the majors, Bochy sent him out there in the fourth inning of the 2011 All-Star Game, and Pence promptly threw out Jose Bautista trying to score from second on a single.
“I remember (third baseman) Scott Rolen was so big, it was hard to throw by him. Geez, he’s a bear,” Pence said. “I remember Brian McCann made an unbelievable tag.”
Now Pence will be given a chance to claim serious playing time at the new position, and he is hoping to make the best of it. The Giants are hoping he does, too.
“Eager to chase birds with you in the outfield. Welcome to the @SFGiants, @TheCUTCH22”