Pence didn't see deal to Giants coming
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Pence didn't see deal to Giants coming
Bob Brookover, Inquirer Baseball Columnist
WASHINGTON D.C. -- Hunter Pence said his goodbyes inside the visiting clubhouse at Nationals Park exactly 367 days after saying hello at Citizens Bank Park.
The circumstances of the departure and arrival could not have been any more different.
When Pence arrived in Philadelphia from Houston last year at the trade deadline, he was supposedly the missing piece for the team with the best record in baseball.
As he departed for the San Francisco Giants Tuesday afternoon, he was a player who had become too expensive and inconsistent to keep. The Phillies acquired outfielder Nate Schierholtz and minor-league prospects Tommy Joseph, a catcher, and Seth Rosin, a righthanded pitcher, from the Giants.
Pence admitted to being shocked by both the trade and the Phillies' 2012 demise that has led to a flurry of deals by general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. at the deadline.
"Very surprising," Pence said with a glazed look in his eyes. "I don't think anyone anticipated the season that has gone on this year. It was a perfect storm of injuries and things that didn't go right for us. That's the business of the game and you have to understand that. We had a great run and now I've been sent on."
Unlike a year ago when he was with the Astros, Pence did not see this deal coming.
"Not until it happened because I honestly this year didn't pay any attention to any of that," he said. "I didn't really hear rumors. I talked to the media maybe one time, so really it just kind of happened, so I'm on to play for San Fran and hopefully in a playoff race."
Pence is in a playoff race again. The Phillies, meanwhile, were in their final race of the season and it was a sprint to see how much money they could get off the books before the 4 p.m. deadline.
Despite his brief time in Philadelphia, Pence said he grew to love playing for the Phillies.
"I had nothing but great memories here in Philadelphia," he said. "I am nothing but thankful for the opportunity to play -- unbelievable teammates and really the organization is a class act all the way from the top down. The fans made it an absolute blast to play for, so it was a great experience."
I hope Pence does well in SF. I dont know anyone who gives you as much hustle. All that being said he was very undiscplined at plate and pitches exploited that. The question is who plays CF? It may be Mayberry and dont overlook Pierre. Unless something changes Mayberry is a 200 hitter against righthanders. I saw Victorino as leadoff hitter in 2013. Joseph and Martin are reported as outstanding prospects. Joseph just turned 21 and has outstanding power. Where does that leave Phills minor leaguer C. Valle who has been hitting at Reading 13 HRs. Martin throws in the mid 90s has had command problems but has shown improvement in that area. Joseph and Martin will be rated among Phills best 6 prospects. Where does that leave Phills veterans such as Lee, Halladay etc who were hoping to win in 2013?— Don w- Only Philly thinks RAJ is an idiot. At least half the teams in the league would give their left nut for an organization that actually makes an effort to win. You think he's an idiot? Go root for Seattle.— MosesMurphy
- Phils are now in a position to be the first team in MLB history to win 100 games one year and lose 90 games the next year.— farley
- Who cares? Stupid statistic. — F. Harry Stowe
- Good attitude is a nice to have - but that can be obtained by getting a club house puppy - I liked Pence's drive - but dear lord, watching him play right field - frankly with as bad as he played this year he had no right to be in MLB - his glove alone could cost a team four or five losses a season. Just unnaceptable.— PhillyDanny
- No 3B or CF worth a darn on the pending market.— MosesMurphy
- STOP the idiotic comments. He was the missing piece last season and did not disappoint. His numbers were down because he didn't have the complimentary players in front of him all season (Howard and Utley). Look at Jayson Werth. With the right players in front/behind you, you get better pitches to hit. Batting behind Utley and Howard and in front of Victorino and Ruiz, Pense got to see more fastballs. Men in scoring position with players behing you that can hit make a huge difference. Pense is a very good hitter, but his outfield skills are average. He is NOT worth $15 million per season and will be on the move next year as well as SF will NOT pay both Pense and Melky Cabrera that kind of scratch. Hopefully, as I write this, Joe Blanton is also on his way out of town to Baltimore. Time to retool this line up. Bring up Brown, give Darin Ruf a move to AAA.— drhoffman
- This comment has been deleted. — Dew Schbag
- The Typo Police strikes again! — ICU812MI
- Phillies will be giving half refunds to anyone who bought a Pence or Victorino jersey this year. Anyway, Pence had is audition this year as a big time producer, he came up a bit short.— bobcitydoc
- Hunter was the perfect fit for Philadelphia, unlike his predecessor in right who bellyached about the fans and the organization after Washington signed him to that crazy contract. He will be missed. Now, the only tough righthanded bat on the roster is Ruiz. Not good. I wish Pence well in SF.
Now, at 4:24 with no other trades, this is turning out to be not that great a day to build on.— DelawareRiverRat - Wow and FYI to drhoffman - Typcially, guys that blurt out endless streams of information and irrefutable opinions while referring to other's comments as idiotic are overcompensating for something.— PhillyDanny
- RAJ please go f yourself— Richardgozinya
- What a mistake, what is Ruben doing? Shouldn't he be mowing lawns instead?— neddyflanders
- He can drop the ball in Frisco too...— jcpaul
