Welcome back to the 2015 Last Word on Fantasy Baseball Guide. Over the next several months we will be releasing player profiles, projections, position rankings, and a number of other articles that will help you dominate your fantasy league this season. Whether you play rotisserie or head-to-head; whether you have a standard draft, a snake or an auction league, and whether it’s keeper league or a one-year deal; we have all the fantasy information you need.
For the rest of our fantasy baseball profiles and articles, please check out our Fantasy Baseball Guide Page.
Fantasy Profile: Hunter Pence, OF, San Francisco Giants
LWOS Ranking 28, Captain’s Value: $8.16
Hunter Pence has a great name. It’s easy to remember and fun to say. He’s a winner. He’s clutch. He’s likable.
But that does not mean he is a great fantasy player.
On the wrong side of 30 and coming off a pedestrian 2014, Pence has not yet hit bottom, but he’s on his way down. A career low HR/FB ratio of 11.3% and declining SB numbers are likely the new normal for Pence. Solid contact numbers suggest that his hit totals and batting average will remain steady well into his advanced years, but his power and speed will continue to decrease.
More importantly, there are simply too many outfielders with more potential being drafted behind Pence to consider him where he is currently being taken. Players like Mookie Betts, Christian Yelich, and Kole Calhoun, are just a few of the guys who are currently being drafted behind Pence. That’s probably a mistake.
Pence is a consistent veteran without a history of injury concerns, and so he represents a safe player fantasy managers can trust. But this is just another classic case of name value inflation. Do not be fooled. Pass on Pence.
Year | Team | POS | G | PA | AB | R | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS |
2011 | HOU | OF | 100 | 432 | 399 | 49 | 11 | 62 | 7 | 30 | 86 | 0.308 | 0.356 | 0.471 | 0.827 |
2011 | PHI | OF | 54 | 236 | 207 | 35 | 11 | 35 | 1 | 26 | 38 | 0.324 | 0.394 | 0.56 | 0.954 |
2011 | 2TM | OF | 154 | 668 | 606 | 84 | 22 | 97 | 8 | 56 | 124 | 0.314 | 0.37 | 0.502 | 0.871 |
2012 | PHI | OF | 101 | 440 | 398 | 59 | 17 | 59 | 4 | 37 | 85 | 0.271 | 0.336 | 0.447 | 0.783 |
2012 | SF | OF | 59 | 248 | 219 | 28 | 7 | 45 | 1 | 19 | 60 | 0.219 | 0.287 | 0.384 | 0.671 |
2012 | 2TM | OF | 160 | 688 | 617 | 87 | 24 | 104 | 5 | 56 | 145 | 0.253 | 0.319 | 0.425 | 0.743 |
2013 | SF | OF | 162 | 687 | 629 | 91 | 27 | 99 | 22 | 52 | 115 | 0.283 | 0.339 | 0.483 | 0.822 |
2014 | SF | OF | 162 | 708 | 650 | 106 | 20 | 74 | 13 | 52 | 130 | 0.277 | 0.332 | 0.445 | 0.777 |
2015 Proj | SF | OF | 550 | 501 | 75 | 15 | 71 | 10 | 42 | 103 | 0.269 | 0.328 | 0.426 | 0.754 |
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