SF Giants: Does Hunter Pence Have a Career as a Giants Broadcaster?

With the SF Giants struggling mightily on the field as of late, one of the few bright spots was hearing fan-favorite Hunter Pence as a broadcaster during the series against the Diamondbacks. With Mike Krukow and Duane Kuiper likely nearing the end of their broadcast careers, can we expect Hunter Pence to be the next voice of SF Giants baseball?

SF Giants: Does Hunter Pence Have a Career as a Giants Broadcaster?

For anyone who watched the Giants' three-game series against the D-Backs, while the team's performance on the field was less than ideal, Hunter Pence was an absolute stand-out in the booth.

The highlight for me was his call on a replay review with a ball down the left-field line in which he eloquently made the case for the ball being fair by lining up the number of the jersey with the left fielder's "booty cheek" which was still in fair play. It was superb analysis with some classic goofy Pence humor which made the moment all the more enjoyable.

But beyond Pence's silliness and energy, he provided solid analysis throughout the series and was strong in the few games he called for the team in 2021. I distinctly remember him saying that Darin Ruf was a guy to watch out for against a lefty starter in 2021 because his bat path matched up well with the pitcher's release point and, lo and behold, Ruf hit one out in that game.

We know that Kruk, Kuip, and Jon Miller will not be around forever. While all three are synonymous with SF Giants baseball at this point, all three are getting up there in years and may choose to retire soon. That means that a void will likely have to be filled in the coming years.

They may decide to have a bit of a rotating cast for color commentators as they have in the past few years with a mix of Shawn Estes, Javier Lopez, J.T. Snow, and Pence. But if Pence wanted the gig full-time, it would be his. Pence is beloved by Giants fans and his energy and positivity are perfect for the job.

I have long felt that the magic of Kruk and Kuip is that they could make a pretty boring game without a lot of action actually be fun with some commentary on the crowd or old stories from their playing days. Pence could absolutely provide this same thing and make Giants baseball fun to watch even if the team is losing.

The main question is if Hunter would want to do the job. We know he already has a gig with MLB Network and who knows what other personal goals he may have that would not be conducive to a full time gig as a broadcaster traveling the country.

But with some of the Giants broadcasters likely to hang up the microphone soon, it is worth considering who will replace them. When the time comes, I sure hope we hear more of Hunter Pence in the booth.