Texas Rangers sign Matt Davidson, Hunter Pence to minor-league deals

The Texas Rangers added two players to their organization on Thursday by signing infielder Matt Davidson and outfielder Hunter Pence to minor-league contracts.

On Thursday, John Blake, Executive Vice President of Communications for the Texas Rangers, announced via Twitter that the team had signed Matt Davidson and Arlington-native Hunter Pence to minor-league contracts. Blake also reported that Davidson could be considered as a possible pitcher in spring training.

Davidson, who is listed as a DH, third baseman, and first baseman according to Baseball Reference, has spent the last two seasons on the Chicago White Sox’s roster, playing in 241 games. In the past two campaigns, he totaled 190 hits, 130 RBIs, and 46 home runs in 848 plate appearances. Davidson, who is 27, has spent the majority of his time in Chicago’s organization with the Triple-A Charlotte Knights of the International League. Davidson tallied 278 hits and 53 home runs in a grand total of 462 games since joining the Knights’ roster in 2014.

Davidson began his MLB career with the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2013, where he played in 31 games. He was able to record 18 hits, three home runs, and 12 RBIs before the end of his time in the desert.

Davidson finished last season with a .228 batting average and 62 RBIs in 434 showings at the plate.

In addition to signing Davidson, the Rangers also signed outfielder Hunter Pence, who is a product of Arlington High School and UT-Arlington.

In fact, Pence first began his MLB career in Texas, but not with the Rangers. He was drafted in the second round of the 2004 MLB Draft by the Houston Astros and made his MLB debut in 2007.

The homegrown native would go on to play for the Astros for five seasons and got his fair share of playing against the Rangers. Pence finished his stint with Houston with 768 hits, 377 RBIs, and 93 home runs in 680 games.

Pence was traded to the Philadelphia Phillies in the middle of the 2011 season. He played in 54 games that year for Philadelphia and 101 the year after before being traded to the San Fransisco Giants in 2012, where Pence has spent half of his career.

Pence won three World Series with the Giants in six years—2010, 2012, and 2014. Although he played in just 97 games last season, Pence finished the season with a .226 batting average and 24 RBIs.

Pence, who is 35, has recorded over 6,000 plate appearances, 850 RBIs, 200 home runs, and 100 stolen bases in his 12-year career in the Majors.

What do you think, Rangers fans? Did the Texas Rangers make good moves on Thursday by signing Davidson and Pence? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!

• Published on 02/08/2019 at 12:04 PM
• Last updated at 02/08/2019 at 09:07 AM