Bochy on Pence: ‘He’s so genuine, and I’m thankful that I had him for seven years’
A day after Hunter Pence praised his soon-to-be-retired former manager following his workout at Texas Rangers spring training, that former manager returned the favor.
“I’m not answering any questions about Hunter Pence,” said Bruce Bochy, who announced on Monday that he would be retiring after this season with the San Francisco Giants.
He was kidding, of course. Bochy, it seems, could have talked all day about the time he spent managing Pence, who played for Bochy from 2012 through last season.
Bochy, who will be managing his 25th season, said that Pence is one of most special players he has managed.
“As I’m stepping down, one thing I’ve reflected back over the years are the special relationships, not just the player but the person, and how lucky I’ve been to get to know some of these guys,” Bochy said. “Hunter is one of those for me. He’s just a special guy who really has such a big heart and has so much energy.
“He’s full-throttle in everything he does, not just the way he plays but what he does in that clubhouse and how he tries to help players and his love for the game and love for people. It’s real. He’s so genuine, and I’m thankful that I had him for seven years.”
Bochy said that injuries and adjusting to not having regular playing time might have affected Pence last season, but by season’s end the Giants thought the Arlington product was getting back to being the productive player they came to know.
The decision to play in the Dominican Republic is the shining example of everything Bochy loves about Pence, who said that the experience reinvigorated him as he tried to win a roster spot this spring with the Rangers.
“I loved it,” said Bochy, who won World Series with Pence in 2012 and 2014. “That was awesome what he did to go down there and work on his game and get better as a player and also show everybody that he has baseball left.
“But he didn’t have to do that. He can do anything he wants, and that’s what I love about him. He loves baseball, and he’s going to show every day. There won’t be a time you’ll see him let up.
“He’s still got a lot of baseball left. Trust me.”
This story was originally published February 20, 2019 at 12:02 PM.
