There's big news in fantasy baseball this sunny Saturday morning, as the Astros have decided to call up prized hitting prospect Hunter Pence and make him the new center fielder. Pence had a terrific spring and was sent to the minors anyway, but as Chris Burke continued to have issues at the plate and, possibly more importantly, in center field, and Pence batted .341 with power at Triple-A Round Rock, this move had to happen.
Pence is 24 and last year in Double-A he contributed 28 home runs, 31 doubles, 17 steals and a decent enough walk rate to warrant a major league job. This guy has real potential, and the Astros have real need. He's more a corner outfielder, but the Astros have no choice.
Last night the Astros were stymied by Chris Capuano, which isn't out of the ordinary, but clearly this offense is underachieving. And while every team wants to win, of course, the Astros are on a different timetable; being tied for last place is not a strong way to lure a Hall of Fame pitcher to play for you.
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Eric Karabell
