Faces on the Field: Hunter Pence

Hunter Pence has been in the Houston Astros organization since the second round of the 2004 draft. If it were up to him, he'd be an Astro for life. But the life of a hot Minor League prospect playing in the system of a contending Major League team just isn't that stable. Especially in late July.

Pence, a 6-foot-5, 23-year-old outfielder, has been impressive at every level of professional baseball. This year, for the Double-A Corpus Christi Hooks, he's in the Texas League's top five in almost every offensive category. His offensive prowess led the Hooks to a first-half division title with a Texas League-best 41-28 overall record.

But despite his success this year -- or perhaps because of it -- Pence is one of the names that crops up most frequently in trade rumors. Pence has been involved in trade discussions for quite some time, with talk about a deal heating up in recent weeks as Major League Baseball's July 31 trade deadline quickly approaches.

"I have no control over it, so I can't worry about it. I've got to let that stuff fall where it may and just keep playing baseball," said Pence, who noted that all of the trade talk he has heard has come from the media, not the Astros organization. "I'm just playing ball and trying to win games. That's my job right now, and I'm having fun doing it."

Because the Astros are competing for a playoff spot with an offense that ranks near the bottom of the National League, they're looking to trade for an extra bat. On July 12, the Astros moved shortstop Ben Zobrist and pitcher Mitch Talbot (both Corpus Christi Hooks at the time) to the Tampa Bay organization, getting left-handed slugger Aubrey Huff in return. But the Astros might not be done dealing. The most rumored trade has Pence moving to the Orioles' organization, along with Houston's Brad Lidge and Adam Everett, in return for slugging shortstop and former American League MVP Miguel Tejada.

"Playing in Double-A has been so much fun. I've made a lot of close friends here, friends who will be my friends for life. I got to see [pitcher Matt] Albers move up to the big leagues, and I was so proud of him. But I also saw Ben and Mitch leave a few weeks ago," said Pence, who had played on four different Astros affiliates with Zobrist since 2004. "And that's a real eye opener. Anything can happen at this level at this time of year. Luckily, my bat's feeling pretty good right now."

"Pretty good" might be an understatement; the trade rumors clearly have not affected Pence's play. If anything, they've fueled him to step up his game, as he tries to prove to one team, whichever team he ends up with, that it has a future star in its hands. In his last 11 games, Pence is batting .341 with three home runs and 13 RBIs.

Pence admits that sometimes he is distracted, but it's not because of trade rumors. He says he sometimes thinks too much about making it to the Majors.

"My main distraction is the prospect of getting to the big leagues. I want to show them I can do what it takes," he said. "And I'm closer than I've ever been to my dream, to my ultimate goal. So I'm kind of in a frenzy right now."

He has made it clear that he wants to reach that ultimate goal with the Astros. Pence grew up outside Dallas in Arlington, where he watched the local Texas Rangers and followed the nearby Astros as he learned to play baseball himself. He's a proud Texan, and he'd like to stay.

"I've always been very proud of being a Texan, so I was really excited to be drafted by the Astros," Pence said Thursday before going 3-for-4 with a home run, two doubles, two runs scored and three RBIs against Frisco in his return to the Dallas area. "And it's definitely my dream to stay here."

There are some Hooks fans -- and Astros fans, for that matter -- who hope Pence's dream comes true. After earning the Astros' Minor League Player of the Year award in 2005, Pence has thrilled crowds with his 24 home runs and 79 RBIs this year. He ranks second in the Texas League in home runs, RBIs, runs scored (73) and extra-base hits (55), and he leads the league with seven triples. He's also showing some speed on the basepaths, collecting 13 stolen bases so far this year. All told, he's turning into one of the most exciting and promising young players in the system.

"I just go in there and play ball," Pence said. "It's the same game it's been since I was little. You just have to play hard and give it everything you've got. I stay focused and I learn what I can out there."

Count Pence's coaches and teammates among those who want him to stay in the Astros system. Pitching coach Joe Slusarski says Pence's love of the game is making his teammates better.

"There are very few people who play with the passion and intensity that Hunter does," Slusarski said. "And it's not something he has to work very hard to do -- it's just a natural part of his game. And it's infectious in our clubhouse. He's a real pleasure to be around, and I'm sure he's a real pleasure to play with."

Pence just hopes he can play with the same guys for a long time.

"I'm a guy that's loyal. I appreciate the support I've gotten from my team. So the idea of changing doesn't really appeal to me. That's just how I'm built. It's how I was raised," Pence said. "I've always admired those athletes who stick with the same teams for their entire careers, like Troy Aikman. And like Craig Biggio, who's been an Astro for life. If it were up to me, at the end of the season I'd be playing with the Astros, winning the World Series. That's my ideal situation."

While that would surely please the Astros as well, it's still unclear what the front office will do before Monday's trade deadline. After all, Pence is a hot prospect and it is late July. But Pence's picture will get a lot less cloudy come August.

"The game has changed, it's more business oriented. But as long as they look out for me, I'd like to look out for them," Pence said. "It's a great organization. Everything they do is first class, from the way they handle their business to the way they try to win ball games. They have a lot of pride in how they do things."

"In the end, you see it's a business. But I want to help the team that had the most faith in me from very early on. I want to help the Astros win."