A good arm is worth more than a good bat. If Pence can bring your Astros someone like Lincecum, they would be stupid not to do it.
I want Dontrelle.......still. Send Florida Patton and Luke for Dontrelle. Roy O Dontrelle Sampson Jennings Albers
I agree...Dontrelle's decreased K/BB ratio and increased BB/9 ratio kinda sorta screams that he's headed towards some kind of surgery soon after 4 years of 200+ innings (ok, 197 the 1st yr...but then 220+ the next 3). Plus 160 before that.
I would not give up Pence, no matter what, unless we're getting Big Papi or someone, Pence is way to valuable, Lincheum is no Johan Santana.
yet. And if Lincecum gets as good as Santana, it would take way more than Pence to land him in a trade.
If by the grace of God the Giants offered Lincecum for Pence, there's no way the Astros turn it down. THe guy is an ace. He's never had injury problems despite heavy usage throughout college and the minors. He reportedly has quite a few variations of his off-speed pitches to go with Oswaltesque heat (possibly better). I would give my left nut to see Lincecum in an Astros uniform. I love Pence, but the obsession levels in this thread are absurd. The fact is, Pence is a defensive liability in more than one way (in both CF and RF), he lacks plate discipline, and he lacks experience. If you think he'll put up averages like he did last year, you're dreaming. Still, he is a solid power hitter with a lot of offensive upside. An ideal, but even more unlikely, scenario would be one that sent Lee to SF for Tim L. That way Pence could move over to LF, where his defficiencies wouldn't be as pronounced. With all that sallary off the books, Drayton could take his pick in the FA market to fill out the outfield. If they end up going with Luke in right, they could even sign another starting pitcher under these circumstances! Of course, none of this will ever happen. If the Giants really do end up trading Lincecum (a terrible idea IMO), they're going to get a lot more than a promising young bat with no arm to speak of.
Uh, ok on that point but, who is going to replace his offensive prowess, Miguel Tejada, A-Rod (of which neither will ever wind up here)? My point is he will roll out of bed and be a 30/100/.300 (every year) and probably steal at least 30 bases a year. If he moves to right field his arm issues will be less pronounced instead of playing death valley center. Plus, Hunter's height he can take away some homers up to 4 rows back. Hunter is clutch. Just my opinion though for the record. Will Lincecum be THAT clutch of pitcher for us?
I'm a huge fan of Pence, been watching him since his Hooks days. But he is not a god. Like was mentioned: I don't know if I'd call him a defensive liability... but its close. He makes up for a lot with his speed though, so he's adequate out there in the OF. His true position is LF. But he definitely lacks discipline at the plate. He's a rookie, so he'll get better. I agree its safe to bet on .300/30/100, or maybe .285/25/90 range now that scouting is done, based on what he's done this year and in the minors. He does walk a fair amount, not great.. but I'd like to see him get his K rate down. But with all this said, if the Giants were offering Lincecum for Pence.. they'd jump on him. He is a top of the line, young pitcher for an OF that will give you .285/30/100.. but we already have Carlos Lee. Pence's true position is LF, and that is filled.
I just have a hard time believing that he's available unless there's some kind of injury concern they are concerned about that isn't known. If he really is as great as he's projected to be, why would they move him? They have control over him for years to come and with so much money tied up in Zito, they won't be able to improve their pitching staff from anywhere but internally. Now if Scott Kazmir really is available, that is something the Astros should look into.
HELL NO! He had an okay season and he was miles better than anything we have outside of Oswalt. I would not make the trade involving Pence. But I would consider someone else.
