Tim Heitman-USA TODAY Sports
The Giants hoped this would be the year of the comeback.
It hasn’t been — at least not for current Giants. Former Giants, though?
Hunter Pence was voted into the All-Star Game, MLB announced Thursday, in an early culmination of a resurrection that no one saw coming.
Pence, who had roamed the Giants’ outfield since 2012, said his goodbye to San Francisco last September in a ceremony for a player who was not yet retiring. He had played out his contract, and the fan favorite, a bottle of energy, looked finished last season, batting .235 with four home runs in 226 at-bats.
He signed a minor league deal with the Rangers, changed his swing and running style and never looked back. He’s slashing .294/.353/.608 with 15 home runs. At 36, he’s a stunning All-Star, his first such honor since 2014 and the fourth time in his career.
“I couldn’t be happier for Hunter,” Bruce Bochy said before the Giants hosted the Diamondbacks. “What he did this winter, you’re talking about a guy who was determined to find his swing, change his swing, goes down to winter ball and works his tail off.
“He’s got enough money. He doesn’t need to do that.”
Pence, currently on the IL with a hamstring injury, will be the starting DH for the AL in Cleveland.
“We’ve talked about his passion for the game and how hungry he always stays. He wants to keep playing,” Bochy said. “For him to get it turned around and have the type of season he’s having, it’s well-deserved. It’s what great athletes can do. They find a way to find their game again.
“At his age, find the so-called Fountain of Youth again and play the way he did a few years ago. That’s really impressive.”