What Should the Giants Do With the Struggling Hunter Pence?

Hunter Pence has yet to exceed the expectations that were placed on him when the Giants acquired him from the Phillies. Granted, it can take awhile for a player to acclimate to a new team, new clubhouse, and new stadium, but Pence is 25 games into his brief Giants career. Plus, Melky Cabrera’s suspension adds even more pressure to the already lofty exceptions tank. Quite simply, a lineup flip is needed. And the lineup flip is very simple---Pence and Marco Scutaro should flip flop spots in the lineup.

OK, so Scutaro doesn’t exactly fit the bill of a number five hitter. He doesn’t hit for much better, and is not typically a run producer. Although, his plate discipline and ability to put the ball in play is something that Pence doesn’t have in his toolbox.

Pence has power. And it hasn’t disappeared. He has had three 20+ home runs seasons in his six year career. No, those seasons weren’t flukes either, meaning that his power outage will soon get put to rest. Eventually, it’s going to show up, but until it does, the two hole is a spot that suits him well. Not only will he see more pitches to hit with Pablo Sandoval and Buster Posey batting behind him, but he can utilize his bunting skills more so than he could in the five hole. Yes, I’m referring to the sneaky but he dropped down last week to drive in a run. It’s not conventional, but hey, it worked. However, those skills would be put to better use in Scutaro’s spot because ironically, Scutaro is the one driving in runs these days (19 RBIs as a Giant).

Patience is key when batting in an RBI spot. For the Giants, though, it is seemingly a false action. The main culprits in the wild, swing at everything approach, are Hunter Pence, Pablo Sandoval, and Hector Sanchez. For Sandoval, the approach works. He’s used it since he became a professional, and he’s not going to stop. Pence on the other hand hasn’t found much success using the free swinging approach, at least not with San Francisco. His strikeout percentage is an inflated 20 percent, a career worst. Obviously, his walk percentage isn’t impressive either (7.8%). In result of his free swinging approach, a lot of soft contract is made--- weak ground balls, pop ups, soft fly balls, you know what I mean.

Compared to Pence, Scutaro is golden in terms of plate discipline. Heck, Scutaro is golden compared to most players in that specific department. He strikes out just eight percent of the time, and puts the ball in play nearly 95 percent of the time---the highest mark in baseball. In situations where a ground ball or fly ball scores a run, he’s precisely the perfect fit seeing that his contact rate is off the chart. Sure, home runs won’t be a common occurrence, but consistency is much more valuable to the Giants right now given their spacious home ballpark.

The Giants knew what they were getting with Pence. They knew that he wasn’t your typical hitter. They knew he was a bit quirky. They knew he isn’t patient. But what they didn’t expect, is a lack of power. To make the situation even bleaker, he only hit one home run in 22 games before being dealt to the Giants. So this prolonged streak hasn’t been just with the Giants, as it’s been more of a continuation.

Maybe returning to Houston this week will rejuvenate Pence. One thing is for sure though, the Giants need him to be huge contributor down the stretch, especially considering the move the Dodgers just made to acquire Adrain Gonzalez.

Posted in: buster posey,Houston Astros,Hunter Pence,Marco Scutaro,pablo sandoval,Philadelphia Phillies,San Francisco Giants