Thesis Statement

This blog has been titled 2012: The Hunter Pence Project because that’s exactly what this Phillies season should be called.

So much talk has been circulating around the “window” of contention the Phillies currently see closing in front of them. You might attribute it to age, injuries, or declining statistics, but the bottom line is that the longtime nucleus of Chase Utley, Jimmy Rollins, and Ryan Howard are trudging through the rigors that come after the prime of a player’s career. Rollins, a player whose success relies so much on his superior athleticism, turned 33 this offseason. Utley has a chronic knee condition. Howard has seen his numbers decline over the past three years, and suffered a very serious injury at the end of last year. Neither Utley nor Howard will spend the first month of the season in the lineup.

Pence will be the catalyst of this offense, whether he ends up hitting third, fourth, or fifth (Charlie Manuel has said he plans to use some different lineups). He’ll be the centerpiece, not only for this year, but for the foreseeable future.

Boasting a pitching staff with big names like Halladay, Lee, Hamels, and Papelbon, the pitching will be stellar, that’s a known commodity. But, as you could see in the Phillies NLDS exit last year, when the offense doesn’t show up, it’s hard to win big games.

With all the negatives having been said, I’ll make this clear: I’m optimistic about this season. The reason for my optimism is because this team’s successes lay on the capable shoulders of Hunter Pence. I’ve only seen him play 54 games in a Phillies uniform and I already love the guy. Sure he might be a little unorthodox (see: swing, throw, running style), but damn it if he doesn’t play as hard as anyone on the field and get the results to back it up. He exemplifies what Philadelphia looks for in their professional athletes.

In his short tenure in the red pinstripes Pence hit .324 with 11 homers, 35 runs, and 35 runs batted in, putting him in or very close to the team lead in each statistic in that period of time. He also plays a solid right field (dude has a cannon).

Time will tell if Uncle Charlie can successfully manage the “small ball” approach he’s been talking about lately, but one thing is obvious this year: The anchor of the Phillies lineup will be Hunter Pence.