Hunter Pence’s an American baseball player who currently plays for the San Francisco Giants as a right fielder. Before he began playing for the Giants, he was with the Houston Astros and then with the Philadelphia Phillies.
Pence’s baseball career dates back to Arlington High School, where he played with the school team. After High school, he played at Texarkana College before transferring to the University of Texas. While in college, he batted 395 to earn the 2004 Southland Conference player of the year.
Check out other thrilling facts about this exceptional and multiple – awarding winning player.
Hunter Pence’s Biography
Pence was born in Arlington, Texas on April 13, 1983, as Hunter Andrew Pence. He began playing baseball right from his High School days at Arlington High School, Texas. During his junior years, he played in the outfield, then in his senior years, he was a shortstop.
After High School, he played at Texarkana College where he was for a year before transferring to the University of Texas at Arlington where he returned to play as an outfield. In 2002, he was drafted by the Milwaukee Brewers in the 40th round of the Major League Baseball Draft but he declined.
In 2003, he hit 347 and was named a first-team all-conference outfielder. The following year, he was named the Southland Conference player of the year after hitting a 395 batting average.
Career
Hunter Spence’s professional career actually began in 2004 after he was first drafted in the second round of the Major League Baseball Draft by the Houston Astros.
He played that season with the New York’s Tri-City ValleyCats and with other leaguers like Ben Zobrist in the team, the ‘Cats were able to attain a 50 win season in the New York–Penn League. In 2006, he was moved to Corpus Christi Hooks where he batted 283 hit 28 home runs, with 95 RBIs, and was named among the Baseball America Minor League All-Star Team.
He began the 2007 season with Round Rock Express as a centerfielder. He made his first major debut as the Houston Astros center fielder in April 2008, in a match against the Milwaukee Brewers. During that match, he also recorded his first major league hit and as well as scored his first run.
Before the end of that season, Hunter Pence was replaced by Michael Bourn at the center field while he was to right field and this became the beginning of new heights for him. He set new records: his home runs record was 25, runs batted in 83, 160 hits, 25 doubles and 595 at-bats. However, his on-base percentage fell to .318, his batting average to .269, and his slugging percentage to .466.
He led the league in outfield assists with 16, committed 1 error, and had a fielding percentage of .997. In 2009, he won his first All-Star. After batting .500 and slugging .909 with two home runs. In 2010 he won the National League Player of the Week title for the second time in his career. His second All-Star came the following year (2011).
In 2009, Pence was traded to the Philadelphia Phillies for four minor-league players which included two right-handers (Jarred Cosart and Josh Zeid), first baseman Jonathan Singleton and outfielder Domingo Santana. He remained with the Phillies till mid-2012. In July 2012, Phillies signed a deal with San Francisco Giants to exchange Pence for three other players which included Seth Rosin, Nate Schierholtz, and Tommy Joseph.
Pence has suffered several injuries. In 2015, he suffered a fractured left forearm after being hit by a pitch while training against the Chicago Cubs and a left oblique strain which caused him to miss the rest of the season.
By 2016, he suffered a torn hamstring tendon of the right leg while running to first base, in 2017 also, he had a troubling left hamstring. Despite the several injuries, he has experienced so far in his years with the San Francisco Giants, Hunter Pence has not ceased to make headlines in the world of baseball.
He earned the National League Player of the Week for the fourth time in his career in April 2016, after batting .421 (8-for-19) with 2 home runs and 10 RBIs. In May of the same year, he hit his 200th career home run in a game against the Arizona Diamondbacks.
Hunter Pence has really made a fortune for himself playing baseball. His annual salary moved from $13 million in 2013, to $18 million in 2017. His net worth is currently estimated at $45 million. The five years $90 million contracts he signed with San Francisco Giants made him one of the highest-paid baseball players.
Who Is Hunter Pence’s Wife (Alexis Cozombolidis)?
Hunter is married to Youtuber Alexis Cozombolidis. The couple tied the knot in November 2016, after one year of engagement. Pence had proposed to Alexis at Walt Disney World in December 2015.
Cozombolidis holds a Bachelor of Arts in political science and government from the University of Southern California. She also studied Spanish, acting, and film production at Santa Monica College. She owns her own Youtube channel called Let’s Get Lexi on YouTube.
Hunter Pence’s Height
If you have met Pence in person, the first thing you probably would have noticed first is his height. The professional player stands at 6 feet 4 inches (193 cm) tall and weighs about 230 pounds, that is 100 kg.
