Sometime during today's Phillies-Astros game, Houston phenom Hunter Pence is likely to qualify for the National League batting race. He nearly qualified after Tuesday's game against Philly, which he won with a walk-off home run in the 13th inning, but as he awoke this morning he had 260 plate appearances, just shy of the 260.4 he needed (3.1 PAs per every team game played) to show up in your hometown paper's hit parade table.
Upon reaching the number of PAs necessary, Pence is likely to debut in the No. 2 slot in the batting race with a .345 average. Colorado's Matt Holliday (.349) with Chicago's Derrek Lee (.339) in second.
Just how rare is it for a rookie to win a league batting crown?
It's only happened twice in baseball history and never in the National League: Ichiro in 2001 and Minnesota's Tony Oliva in 1964. (Oliva would win again in '65. The guy could hit a little.)
The competition is stiff, but it would be unwise to discount Pence's chances. Though he doesn't have the vastness of the Coors Field outfield working for him the way Holliday does, or the friendly confines of Wrigley Field as Lee does, Pence has a right-handed hitter's haven of his own in Minute Maid Park, where he is hitting .372 in 137 at-bats this season.
And despite his lack of walks so far (only 10), Pence's minor-league track record -- he walked 60 times in 523 Double-A at-bats last year -- shows he does have the ability to be patient at the plate. He's just too busy raking right now to bother.
With the Craig Biggio 3,000 march over and the Rocket no longer on the club, at least Astros fans will have Pence to root for the rest of the season as he pursues the batting crown and the Rookie of the Year award, for which he is currently the runaway leader ahead of Milwaukee's Ryan Braun and Cincinnati's Josh Hamilton.
UPDATE
Pence went 2-for-5 with a solo home run on Wednesday against the Phillies, raising his average to .346.
Brooklyn Decker
Jessica Gomes
Did You See That?
College Football Top 25 Review
Comments (9) Add A Comment
The kid is a joy to watch at the plate and in the field - and in the dugout, for that matter. He can't figure out Tal's Hill yet - when he caught that ball next to the flagpole the other night, I don't know who was more surprised - Pence or anybody watching the game. I hope he's around for years to come.
Fuzzy
Total Comments (286)
I traded for Pence in my fantasy league ... I am so smart, S-M-R-T.
Government Cheese
Nebraska, OK
Total Comments (10)
This guy is amazing. I hope he continues to improve and mature. If so, it will be amazing to watch him in five years.
JackAigner
Wheaton , IL
Total Comments (1)
There is a common misperception that it is easier to hit in Wrigley Field because of the small dimensions. While the power alleys may be fairly short, the distances down each of the lines is very long (355 ft. to left field and 368 ft. to right field). Furthermore, the wind blows towards home plate more than it blows out, making the stadium more favorable to pitchers. And, Derrek Lee only has 6 home runs. So please don't say that Wrigley Field is what is contributing to Derrek Lee's high batting average.
cubsfan08
Winnetka , IL
Total Comments (1)
Pence's BABIP is a preposterous .393. While hitters do exert much more influence on their BABIP than pitchers, a figure that extreme shows an enormous amount of luck. Over the larger sample of a full season, Pence's average will come down dramatically. He'll likely end the season in the .290-.310 range, which is still more than respectable for a rookie.
jdbolick
Greenville , NC
Total Comments (41)
Ryan Braun is the best. If he started from the beginning of the year he'd be rookie of the year easily.
jlq3d3
Los Angeles , CA
Total Comments (6)
Ryan Braun? Psssh, Pence has only played about 50 games, if he started from the beginning of the year, he'd prolly had made All-Star team.
Stephen Colbert
Total Comments (518)
If you think yuo are so S-M-A-R-T, I must be the reincarnation of Albert Einstein. I picked up Hamilton, Pence, AND Braun in my fantasy league. I am a run away leader in my division and tops in nearly all offensive categories thanks to some shrewd trades to open up slots for these young studs. Because of their hitting, I was able to trade Derek Lee for Jose Reyes.
Golffanatc
Springfield , IL
Total Comments (2)
You guys think you're S-M-A-R-T? I just saved a bunch of money by switching to Geico!
(PS - Shout out on the Simpsons reference!)
Peoplchamp
Troy , NY
Total Comments (1)
Comment
Remember to keep your posts clean. Profanity will get filtered, and offensive comments will be removed.