The Importance Of Two Gangly Men

Hunter Pence playing baseball like he was taught in his youth, with the cyborgs

If you were going to cherry pick a game not to watch out of the 162, this one would be it. I got to a T.V. just in time to see Jeremy Affeldt walk in two runners. Yippy! There were probably some relevant things that happened in this game, but all in all this was you’re prototypical “it's only one loss” type game. The Giants are playing good baseball. Go outside and be happy. Watch some big boats go in circles. Something like that is going on right now.

But if you want to be cheered up after this game, what do you say we talk about Hunter Pence in a Giants uniform! 

But first: For the past couple of weeks or so, the Giants offense has gained momentum thanks to Angel Pagan and Marco Scutaro. Two hitters that weren’t counted on to be anything but around average major league hitters have turned into catalyst during one of the most successful stretches of Giants baseball in 2012. I don’t mean to pour water on such a happy story, but I have no choice. I don't think I'm breaking news when I say their performances aren't sustainable. More Pagan than Scutaro. Pagan is hitting a robust .372/.430.596 in August. In July he hit .210/.244/.309. It’s like one day you’re microwaving 7 day old half chewed steak covered in bird droppings and the next day someone is treating you to House Of Prime Rib.

Pagan eventually will go back to being crappy hacky Pagan, and then he’ll turn around and be doubles happy Pagan. That's what he does. But don’t expect a sustained stretch of good baseball from him. Scutaro’s production is a bit more defensible, and it wouldn’t be a stretch to say he can continue some semblance of his production since he came to the Giants (.336/.361/.442). Expect the slugging and average to go down a tad, but Scutaro is just one year removed from a .781 OPS season, in the American League East. All that said, it’s not something one can necessarily count on, as his season line still sits at  .286/.332/.380  even with much of his games coming in Colorado. Not exactly the most trustworthy player, but a guy that will certainly be consistently decent.

More to the point: Buster Posey is an MVP candidate. Pablo Sandoval can be counted on for solid production the rest of the way. Without sounding spoiled, these two hitters can be taken for granted, in a relative sense of course. I would say to be careful of Posey tiring down the stretch, but he is not a mortal being, and I don’t have stats to analyze that. And while Pagan and Scutaro have been solid performers of late, it’s not production that’s money in the bank every day. Eventually at least Pagan will slow down, and the offense will be stuck in a relative rut again. Unless hitters can step up do step up. That's a lot stepping. Two hitters that can be that consistent everyday solid producers: Hunter Pence and Brandon Belt.

Two men who know more about extraterrestrial life than Tommy Lee Jones and Will Smith combined. Pence and Belt have legitimate upside. Pagan and Scutaro are decent hitters and all that, but any type of top tier production they give you is gravy. Belt and Pence have All Star talent.

Say, did you know Brandon Belt is a hot button issue? After all the #freebelt hubbub from the past year and a half, Brandon Belt is turning into the hitter he was projected to be. In August, he’s hitting .369/.446/.492. His K% is down to 13%, nearly 15% lower than his career line, similar to that of noted professional hitter Ryan Theriot. Of course, we’ve seen this before. In June, Belt went on a torrid 12 game stretch, followed up by a suckfest of epic proportions, in which he averaged 4 strikeouts every 3 at bats. I’m trying to believe that this Belt is around to stay. One can only hope he’s made adjustments post-slump to avoid falling into the same trap that engulfed him in July. Belt has supreme potential, and for folks that don’t remember he was the Giants number 1 prospect in 2011, ahead of Zack Wheeler. The talent is there to where you could see Belt sustaining the offensive production he’s shown in August, which would be a huge boost for the offense.

Then there is Hunter Pence. The ole’ Mantis religiosa. It’s unfair to criticize Pence’s production or lack thereof with the Giants (.191/.248/.298 in 101 PA’s) in such a small sample. But it hasn’t just been with the Giants. To use an arbitrary end point, since June 1^st, Pence has hit .254/.310/380 (318 PA’s). Nearly 3 months of bad offensive production. The, gulp, Aaron Rowand comparisons are floating around like a buoy in the middle of the ocean. Hunter Pence was overrated by fans expecting him to be an offensive hero coming to San Francisco. But he is not this bad. There’s just no way. It’s true last season was probably a career year, with a nearly 60 point spike in BABIP compared to the rest of his career. Yet even during the years prior to his 2011 outburst, Pence was a solid above average major league hitter. Houston and Philadelphia may have been hitters parks, but it’s not like any fly ball ever hit is a home run in the two. His offense isn’t spectacular, but his career shows he’s been a consistent offensive players that puts up above average power numbers. He’s only 29. Pence should find his way in the next month and a half. If nothing else we could probably find some live rabbit for him to gnaw on to get some energy back.

Buster Posey, Pablo Sandoval, Brandon Belt and Hunter Pence. Those are the 4 players with enough talent to be consistently productive hitters. The seeds of an above average offense. Angel Pagan and Marco Scutaro are nice complimentary players, but their upside is limited. The four above have loads of potential, and the onus is now squarely on Belt and Pence. Apparently the Dodgers are forming a decent baseball team so it would be cool if these guys could do fans a solid and be good. And if that happens, that loss of that other guy won't feel so bad.