Hunter Pence Biography

Hunter Pence nicknamed “The Reverend” is a prominent American former professional baseball right fielder and designated hitter. He played in MLB (Major League Baseball) for the Houston Astros, Philadelphia Phillies, San Francisco Giants, and Texas Rangers. He was drafted in the second round in the 2004 Major League Baseball Draft by the Astros. In 2007, he made his Major League debut. He is a four-time All-Star and was a member of the 2012 and 2014 World Series championship teams with the Giants.

Hunter Pence Education

He received his education at Arlington High School where he played outfield in his first three years. In his senior year, he moved to shortstop. After high school, he attended Texarkana College for a year and then transferred to The University of Texas at Arlington.

Hunter Pence Career

Hunter Pence College Career

While at the University of Texas at Arlington, he returned to the outfield for the UT Arlington Mavericks. As a sophomore in 2003, he hit .347 and was named a first-team all-conference outfielder. Even after suffering an injury in 2004, he was still named the 2004 Southland Conference Player of the Year, leading the league with a .395 batting average.

Hunter Pence Professional Career

Hunter Pence Draft and Minor Leagues

He was drafted in the 40th round of the 2002 Major League Baseball Draft by the Milwaukee Brewers but did not sign. He was then drafted in the second round (64th pick overall) in the 2004 Major League Baseball Draft by the Houston Astros out of the University of Texas at Arlington. Pence played the 2004 season with the single A Tri-City ValleyCats in Troy, New York. During that year, he and Ben Zobrist helped lead the Cats to a 50-win season in the New York-Penn League, the second most in ValleyCats history. In 2006, he batted .283/.357/.533 and hit 28 home runs with 95 RBIs while with the AA Corpus Christi Hooks.

Hunter Pence Houston Astros

On April 28, 2007, he made his first major league debut as the Houston Astros center fielder, versus the Milwaukee Brewers. He got his first major league hit and scored his first run in the game. His first home run in the majors was on May 5, a grand slam against the St. Louis Cardinals. On July 23, general manager Tim Purpura announced that Pence would be out with a small chipped bone fracture in his right wrist. He was activated on the disabled list on August 21.

After Michael Bourn was traded to the Astros from the Phillies, Hunter moved to right field while Bourn took over in center. In his second season with the Astros, he set new personal sing;e-season records in home runs (25), runs batted in (83), doubles (25), hits (160), and at-bats (595). In 2009 (his third season), he was named an All-Star for the first time. The following year, he batted .282 with 25 home runs, drove in 91 RBIS, and played 156 games. For the second time, he was named a 2011 All-Sar as a reserve.

Hunter Pence Philadelphia Phillies

He was traded to the Philadelphia Phillies on July 29, 2011, for four minor-league players; first baseman Jonathan Singleton, right-handers Jarred Cosart and Josh Zeid, and a player to be named later, determined to be outfielder Domingo Santana. He hit his first home run as a Phillie on August 4, against Madison Bumgarner. For the first time in his career, he made the playoffs, but the Phillies lost the 2011 National League Division Series to the St. Louis Cardinals in 5 games.

Hunter Pence San Francisco Giants

The Phillies sent Pence in a deadline deal to the San Francisco Giants on July 31, 2012. In return, the Phillies received Nate Schierholtz, Tommy Joseph, and Seth Rosin. Pence hit his first home run as a Giant off Rockies’ relief pitcher Rafael Betancourt on August 12. He had a five-RBI game on July 13, 2013, in a 9-0 Giants win over the San Diego Padres at Petco Park. Because of hitting .293 with a .393 on-base percentage 11 home runs and 32 RBIs, he was named NL Player of the Month for September. On September 27, he won the Willie Mac Award. The following day, he agreed to a 5-year, $90 million contract extension with the Giants through the 2018 season.

On July 6, 2014, he was elected to his third All-Star game. In Game 4 of the 2014 NLDS against the Washington Nationals on October 7, he made a leaping catch against the right field wall in the 6th inning to deny Jayson Werth an extra-base hit. This dramatic play held the Giants’ 2-1 lead, helping them to secure an eventual 3-2 victory. In Game 4 of the World Series, he went 3-5 with a double, scored two runs, and had three RBIs. His performance helped lead the Giants to their third World Series title in five years, as they went to beat the Royals 3-2 in Game 7.

2015-2018

On March 5, 2015, he suffered a fractured left forearm. This was after being hit by a pitch during a spring training game against the Chicago Cubs. On May 8, he started a rehab assignment with the TGriple-A Sacramento River Cats. He was activated from the disabled list on May 16. Again on June 11, he was put on the disabled list with left wrist tendinitis and reactivated on July 7.

For the fourth time in his career, he was named National League Player of the Year of the Week. This was after he batted .421(8-for-19) with 2 home runs and 10 RBIs from April 25 – May 1, 2016. He hit his 200th career home run on May 14, 2016, in a game against the Arizona Diamondbacks. In 2016, he batted .289/.357/.451 with 13 home runs in 395 at-bats. On May 15, 2017, he was placed on the 10-day disabled list due to a troubling left hamstring. On April 3, 2018, he sprained his thumb and was placed on the 10-day disabled list. That year, he batted .226/.258/.332 with 4 home runs in 235 at-bats.

Hunter Pence Texas Rangers

He signed a minor league contract with the Texas Rangers with an invitation to spring training on February 7, 2019. The Rangers announced on March 21, that Pence made the Opening Day roster. He finished the 2019 season posting a .297/.358/.552/.910 slash line with 18 home runs and 59 RBIs over 286 at-bats in 83 games.

Hunter Pence return to the Giants

He re-signed with the Giants on February 7, 2020, on a one-year, $3 million contract. On August 23, 2020, he was designated for assignment, after the team’s acquisition of Daniel Robertson, and was released the next day. He officially announced his retirement from professional baseball on September 26, 2020.

Hunter Pence Broadcast Career

He debuted as a Giants color analyst for NBC Sports Bay Area on July 18, 2021. In March 2022, he joined MLB Network as an analyst.

Hunter Pence Age

Hunter was born on April 13, 1983, therefore he is 40 years old as of August 2023. He thus celebrates his birthday on April 13 of every year.

Hunter Pence Height

He stands at a height of 6 feet 4 inches (1.93m) tall.

Hunter Pence Family

Pence was born in Fort Worth, Texas, U.S.A. to Howard Pence (Father) and Gail Pence (Mother). He has two siblings namely; Howard Pence and Stacy Pence.

Hunter Pence Wife

Hunter is married to the love of his life, Alexis Cozombolidis. They got engaged on December 3, 2015, in a proposal at Walt Disney World and got married on November 26, 2016. He does not have any kids as of August 2023.

Hunter Pence’s Net Worth

Pence has a net worth of $45 million which he has earned through being an MLB Analyst and a former professional baseball player.

Hunter Pence Salary

He earns an annual salary of $3 million.