Hunter Pence is something special

Several years ago when the career of Craig Biggio was nearing an end and both Brad Ausmus and Jeff Bagwell had departed the question was posed to Craig about who he thought would take over as the face and leader of the team. Certainly most figured he would point to Lance Berkman who was at the peak of his skills and was a very popular figure with the media and fans. But Biggio passed over Lance and pointed directly to a player only in his first full season as a major leaguer. "Hunter Pence plays the game the right way. He will be the next leader of the Astros," said one of the greatest Astro leaders ever. As time has passed Biggio has proved to be prophetic even if Pence hates to hear discussions of his leadership role. To Hunter Pence everyone has to be a leader. In one sense he is absolutely right. If everyone played as hard as Hunter and gave all out on every play they would all be leaders in that very important manner--by example. Hunter is both a leader by example and by action whether he wants any recognition for it or not. What he does on the field everyone can see. What he does off the field they cannot. It was Hunter Pence who was one of the ringleaders in urging his teammates to spend much of the off season working out at Minute Maid Park to be ready for 2011. It is Hunter Pence who after games is really hurting when the team does not win. It is Hunter Pence who makes sure he is available for the media before and after games. Hunter recognizes that being one of the faces of the team for the fans through the media is a very important part of his job even if it does not contribute directly to wins. That is not to say Hunter wouldn't mind being less the focus. He dislikes having to talk much about himself, but realizes if he makes the big play or gets the big hit that will be a focus even if it took hits from others to make it so. He makes sure everyone gets recognized in any interview he is part. That is another form of leadership. If you get to games early when there are fans on the field behind home plate. One of the players that will always have something to say to some of them is Hunter Pence. Hunter "gets it." Hunter understands that the "non-game" work in baseball is so very important to the big picture. It is all about building a fan base. Winning can do that, but having a team of players the fans really like goes a long way as well. Everyone likes Hunter Pence. He is without question the most popular Astro on the team now. He may not always look smooth on the field. Heck, everytime he cuts loose with a hard throw from his unusual release MY arm hurts. But if there is a ball hanging in the air that he has even the smallest chance of catching he will always give it all he has. He stretches singles into doubles. He makes the infielders make perfect plays to throw him out on the most routine groundballs. He plays with obvious enthusiasm and determination even to the grimace on his face when he swings and misses at a high fast ball or a slider down and away. He is sure he will make that pitcher pay the next time. And often he does just that. The first time I saw Hunter play he was with Corpus Christi. He was playing against Frisco in a game we televised on FOX Sports Houston. The opposing pitcher was Edinson Volquez, then a Ranger farm hand and a very promising prospect. Volquez was dominating in large part because the double A hitters could not lay off his stuff which often was not in the strike zone. Hunter Pence was able to solve him with a couple of opposite field ground ball singles. But it was watching Hunter run and throw that caught the eye. Despite his almost awkward look doing both he ran with speed and threw with accuracy and strength. Showing how to handle a very tough future major league pitcher while his teammates had no clue was also impressive. Pence has been a very consistent major league hitter in his nearly four year major league career. He has not reached "star" level, but if he keeps playing as hard as he has so far more and more fans with other teams will realize that he is getting very close. He is the Astros best hitter now. He is the most hustling player on the team and maybe the whole league. What he does will never look smooth and effortless. That is OK. It isn't effortless. Hunter Pence works hard. He spends hours in the batting cages every week and more hours working out to stay fit,trim and strong. No major league player can be perfect. All of them strike out. All of them make errors. But if all of them played as hard as Hunter Pence no one would mind as much. Chances are the results for the Astros as a team might not reach the level fans would like in 2011. But don't write them off as being unworthy of your time watching or following not as long as Hunter Pence is playing all out win or lose every single game.