The google-eyed outfielder from Arlington appears to be all elbows and knees as he runs the bases or roams the outfield but he gets the job done with both power and speed and quickly became a fan favorite.

Hunter burst onto the Houston scene in 2007 and was in the mix for the Rookie of the Year award until he lost a month of time to injury. After that, he was a sturdy player who banged out 25 homers in each of the next three seasons. Pence made the N.L. All-Star team in 2009 and 2011 and was named the Astros' MVP in 2010.

With a pending change of ownership and a demand to slash payroll, the Astros dealt Pence to Philadelphia at the 2011 trade deadline for four prospects, three of whom could become future stars. Through his five seasons in Houston, Pence hit .290 with 103 homers and 377 RBIs.

Stats

Batting          G     AB    R   H   2B  3B  HR  RBI   BB   SO   SB  CS   AVG   SLG   OBA   OPS
2007            108   456   57  147  30   9  17   69   26   95   11   5  .322  .539  .360  .899
2008            157   595   78  160  34   4  25   83   40  124   11  10  .269  .466  .318  .784
2009            159   585   76  165  26   5  25   72   58  109   14  11  .282  .472  .346  .818
2010            156   614   93  173  29   3  25   91   41  105   18   9  .282  .461  .325  .786
2011            100   399   49  123  26   3  11   62   30   86    7   1  .308  .471  .356  .828
Totals          680  2649  353  768 145  24 103  377  195  519   61  36  .290  .479  .339  .818  

Astros Trades & Transactions

Jul 29. 2011 - Traded Hunter Pence (OF) to PHI-N for Jarred Cosart (P), Jonathan Singleton (IF), Josh Zeid (P) and Domingo Santana (OF)

This Date in Astros History

May 12, 2007 - Roy Oswalt sails to his sixth win in a 10-4 bombing of the Diamondbacks. Mike Lamb and rookie Hunter Pence crunch three hits apiece, including a home run. Carlos Lee and Luke Scott also go deep. Lee leads the league in RBIs with 34. Craig Biggio ties Sam Crawford on the all-time hits list at 2,964 while passing Carl Yastrzemski for seventh on the all-time doubles list (647).

Jun 24, 2007 - Craig Biggio legs out the 658th double of his career, most of any righthanded batter in major league history. More importantly, it plates Morgan Ensberg in the 10th for the winning run in a wild 12-9 slugfest against the Texas Rangers. Arlington's own Hunter Pence goes 4-for-6 with a homer and a double. Lance Berkman also goes deep and drives in four. The offense is necessary after Dan Wheeler blows a four-run lead in the eighth and a two-run lead in the ninth before getting credit for the win.

Feb 19, 2008 - The first full day of spring training is a rough one for a trio of Astros. Outfielder Hunter Pence arrives with cuts all over his hands and knees after crashing through a sliding glass door while leaving the hot tub of his rental home. Shortstop Miguel Tejada is grilled by the press about his legal troubles stemming from the Mitchell Report and infielder Mark Loretta learns he has lost his arbitration case, receiving $2.75 million in salary instead of the $4.9 million he sought.

May 02, 2008 - Consecutive homers by Miguel Tejada, Lance Berkman and Carlos Lee highlight a 7-4 victory over Milwaukee. The feat happens in the sixth off Carlos Villarreal. Tejada's blast comes after he promised a homer to a child with muscular dystrophy before the game. Hunter Pence accounts for the other three tallies with a pair of long balls.

May 11, 2008 - Hunter Pence breaks up a no-hit bid in Los Angeles with a single after two outs in the seventh. The bats wake up and clobber the Dodgers with an 8-5 thrashing. Houston wins their eighth game in their last nine while climbing within 1-1/2 games of the division lead.

May 23, 2008 - Jose Valverde takes a line drive off the face yet stays in the game to notch his league-leading 15th save in a 4-3 triumph against the Phillies. Hunter Pence had drilled two solo homers and Brandon Backe allowed just one run over 7-1/3rd innings but Valverde steals the spotlight with his amazing toughness.

May 27, 2008 - Hunter Pence goes 5-for-5 and Miguel Tejada blasts a two-run homer to pace an 8-2 win in St. Louis behind seven strong innings from Shawn Chacon. The Astros and Cardinals are in a tie for second in the division behind Chicago.

Aug 02, 2008 - Craig Biggio legs out the 658th double of his career, most of any righthanded batter in major league history. More importantly, it plates Morgan Ensberg in the 10th for the winning run in a wild 12-9 slugfest against the Texas Rangers. Arlington's own Hunter Pence goes 4-for-6 with a homer and a double. Lance Berkman also goes deep and drives in four. The offense is necessary after Dan Wheeler blows a four-run lead in the eighth and a two-run lead in the ninth before getting credit for the win.

Aug 08, 2008 - Carlos Lee picks up his league-leading 100th RBI and the 1,000th RBI of his career with a two-run double that defeats the Reds in ten innings, 9-5. Lee has four hits, including a solo homer. Kaz Matsui, Humberto Quintero and Hunter Pence also go deep. Chris Sampson gets the win with three innings of relief work. The next day, Lee's season would end when he is plunked by Bronson Arroyo, breaking his pinkie finger.

Sep 06, 2008 - Roy Oswalt spins a one-hitter, blanking the Rockies, 2-0. A single by Brad Hawpe is the only Colorado safety. Oswalt fans six and walks two. Hunter Pence's two-run homer provides the only runs of the game. The Astros are 28-11 since July 26th but remain in fourth place in their division with only faint playoff hopes.

Sep 09, 2008 - For the first time in National League history, instant replay is used to help officiate a game. Hunter Pence's double in the sixth inning is reviewed to see if it might have been a home run but replays set up in New York back the umpire's call. Nonetheless, Houston drops the Pirates, 9-3, to suddenly climb within four games of the faltering Brewers in the wild card race. Lance Berkman homers and drives in four to reach 100 RBIs for the sixth time in his 10-year career.

Jun 17, 2009 - Ivan Rodriguez sets the record for most games caught in a big league career (2,227) but he commits two errors that help the Rangers outlast Houston, 5-4, in ten innings. Hunter Pence notches four hits including two doubles and a solo homer.

Aug 12, 2009 - Hunter Pence launches a pair of three-run homers to pace a 14-6 thrashing of the Marlins. Lance Berkman comes off the disabled list to drill a pair of RBI doubles. Carlos Lee adds three hits and three RBIs. Rookie Bud Norris lasts five inning to up his record to 3-0 since a midseason call-up.

Mar 4, 2010 - Brad Mills' managerial debut is a 15-5 Astros victory over a split squad of Washington Nationals. Hunter Pence gives the new skipper a happy send-off with two homers in the fourth inning during a nine-run frame which turned the momentum.

Aug 14, 2010 - After giving up a triple and a homer to start the game, Bud Norris bears down and strikes out 14 over seven innings for a 3-2 win over Pittsburgh. Hunter Pence supplies the offense with a solo homer and a pair of doubles, including the game-winner.

Aug 24, 2010 - Chris Johnson gets his fourth single of the night to drive in Hunter Pence with the winning run in a 4-2, 16-inning marathon at Philadelphia. Carlos Lee's two-run blast gives Houston the lead until Jimmy Rollins homers with two outs in the bottom of the ninth. The Phillies insert former Astro Roy Oswalt in left field after Ryan Howard is ejected in the 14th. Oswalt comes to bat as the last hope in the 16th before tapping out to third. The surprising Astros sweep the Phils and push all the way to third in the division before a late swoon leaves them with a 76-86 record and a fourth place finish.

May 31, 2011 - Jordan Lyles, the 20-year-old top prospect, makes his big league debut an impressive one. He blanks the Cubs for seven innings but his own throwing error puts him behind, 3-1, after eight. The Astros respond with six runs in the top of the ninth for a 7-3 stunner. Brett Wallace and Hunter Pence have three hits each, including a homer. Fernando Rodriguez gets his first big league win, not Lyles.

Aug 3, 2011 - After deadline trades send Hunter Pence and Michael Bourn away for prospects, the rebuilding Astros take 2-of-3 from Cincinnati, including a 5-4 victory that is the first major league win for 20-year-old Jordan Lyles. Outfielder J.D. Martinez, called up from AA less than a week before, smashes a homer and double to drive in four. 21-year-old Jose Altuve and 22-year-old Jimmy Paredes add two hits apiece.