Hunter Pence Injury a Crushing Blow to S.F. Giants
Captain Underpants is without the use of his left arm for the time being. The San Francisco Giants will have to bide their time without arguably their biggest offensive weapon in the early weeks of the 2015 MLB season as 12-year veteran Hunter Pence suffered a non-displaced ulnar fracture in his left wrist.
The defending champions might not be such if it weren’t for Pence’s efforts in the 2014 postseason. Though pitcher Madison Bumgarner had the spotlight on him for much of the playoffs, their right fielder hit .444 with a home run, five RBI and as many runs scored in the seven game series against the Kansas City Royals in the World Series.
Manager Bruce Bochy called Pence the “heartbeat of their team” during the postseason last year. On his current injury, the skipper seemed discouraged when speaking to the media but took solace in noting that at least it happened early in spring training so there will be time for it to heal.
More from MLB News
- MLB Power Rankings: Atlanta Braves still on top with major shifting below them
- Caesars MLB Promo Code: Two Shots at Picking the World Series Winner!
- MLB Power Rankings: Atlanta Braves still on top amid a big shake-up in top 10
- DraftKings MLB Promo: Bet $5 on an Anytime Home Run, Win $150 Bonus GUARANTEED
- MLB Power Rankings: After MLB trade deadline, gap is closing on Atlanta Braves
The Giants’ offense in 2015 will already be without the production of departed free agents Pablo Sandoval and Mike Morse. That’s 32 home runs and 134 RBI that will need to be replaced over the course of the entire season.
Buster Posey and Pence were set to be the real meat in the Giants’ lineup this season. With the right fielder expected to miss 6-8 weeks, he probably won’t make his debut until sometime in mid-May assuming he has no setbacks and does a brief stint in Triple-A to was away any rust that may be lingering around still from the offseason.
The loss of Pence deeply diminishes Posey’s supporting cast and thus will probably also hurt the productivity of the Giants’ catcher at the plate. He’s going to see a lot of pitches outside thew strike zone now. 31-year old Pence has been anything but inconsistent as a Major Leaguer. A lifetime .284 hitter, he has hit 20 or more home runs in his last seven consecutive seasons, with no less than 72 RBI in any of those same years. Add to that a knack for crossing home plate, 102 career stolen bases and an enthusiastic locker room presence, and it’s plain to see Pence’s value is sky high in the Fog City.
Bochy and his coaches will have to hope sophomore second baseman Joe Panik can pick up where he left off last season when he slashed .305/.343/.368 in 269 at-bats. Veteran newcomers Casey McGehee and Nori Aoki will also be expected to step up, as will talented but oft-injured center fielder Angel Pagan who has played barely a full seasons worth of games (167) over the last two years.