The all-consuming football season in Texas tends to blot out news on virtually any other sporting front, but the fall is also an important period for development purposes in professional baseball. And with the Stros currently trolling the expensive free agent market for some desperately-needed hitting and better left-handed relief pitching, a couple of top prospects are turning heads this fall.
Baseball Prospectus’ Joe Sheehan likes what he sees ($) in the Arizona Fall League from Stros pitching prospect Troy Patton, who played last season at A Lexington and AA Corpus Christi:

The Astrosí Troy Patton looked very good in two shutout innings. He has been a starter his whole career, but he looks like he could be a lefty reliever for the ëStrosówho have struggled to find one over the yearsóas early as this spring. He’s not just a specialist; he has four pitches, including a very effective change-up according to [Jason Grey, author of the AFL Scouting Guide] Grey. His sizeóa slight 6-1óand his slider may doom him to a limited role, but heís capable of much more. Ron Villone comes to mind.

Goodness knows that it’s high time that the Stros quit rolling the dice on situational lefties out of the bullpen such as Mike Gallo and Trevor Miller.
But even more importantly, Sheehan reports that one of the most impressive players in the Arizona Fall League was Stros OF prospect Hunter Pence, who tore up the Texas League last season at AA Corpus:

[Brewers No. #1 prospect Ryan] Braun was the #2 name on everyoneís lips over the weekend. The guy at #1 is Hunter Pence, the Astrosí outfield prospect who left the league just before I arrived. Even with his short stay, Pence impressed everyone who saw him, being named the top position player by Jason Grey of fantasybaseball.com in his AFL Scouting Guide. Pence is an older prospectóhe was 23 last year in the Texas Leagueóand given the Astrosí fluid corner outfield situation, he could push for a job in Houston as early as this spring. Eric Byrnes was a popular comp, but I think a right-handed Rusty Greer works better.

If Pence could perform as well as Rusty Greer (149 RCAA/.387 OBA/.478 SLG/.865 OPS), the Stros would take that in a minute and rejoice. Baseball America’s Chris Kline has more on Pence ($):

“A lot of people look at the guy and have no idea this guy hit 60 home runs over the last two years,” a scout from an American League said. “He’s ridiculous. There are plenty of (scouts) that look at him, see his approach and break him down negatively because he’s anything but textbook, but the guy gets it done . . . with big-time power.”
And above-average speed as well. In addition to those 59 homers, Pence stole a career-high 17 bags in 21 attempts for the Hooks. His approach might not be prototypical, but really, there is nothing prototypical about his game.
As he waits in the on-deck circle, he swings–non-stop. But the swing itself is the interesting thing. Pence wears only one batting glove in an era when it’s hip to wear both and becoming more and more rare to wear none. He croutches down in his 6-foot-4 frame and uses a low, compact swing he repeats over and over, swinging at least four times before stepping into the batterís box.
The bottom line is Pence might look just plain strange–and even he knows it. He wears his socks high, and is slightly bowlegged. But again, he gets it done.
“Like everyone says that I choke up and it’s weird–everybody makes fun of me, even my mom,” Pence said. “It’s comfortable for me and that’s the way I’ve always played. I’m not Captain Cool by any means. I just try to go out and play hard, do my job, have fun and help the team win.”
So far this fall, Pence is hitting .362 AVG/.403 OBA/.603 SLG with three homers and 11 RBIs in 58 at-bats for Mesa. But everyone knew he could hit–it’s his defense that has opened a lot of eyes this fall.
“He’s the best guy out here right now,” Solar Sox manager Pat Listach said. “There is nothing that screams fundamentals as far as hitting goes, but his defense has been outstanding.” [. . .]
. . . Pence is playing strictly center and right field in the Arizona Fall League, getting good jumps, taking good routes to balls and turning in the occasional highlight-reel play. [. . .]
One scout compares Pence to major league outfielder Eric Byrnes for his unorthodox approach at the plate, his speed and the way he plays from day-to-day.
“This is a guy who has that undeniable energy,” the scout said. “He’s got that different approach, but to me, he’s a bigger, stronger version of Byrnes who will hit for more power and give you some defensive versatility in the outfield.
“For me, he can play all three spots, with enough arm strength and power to be a legitimate everyday right fielder. But he’s also showed enough burst and range to play center if you need him there. He’s proven he can do a little bit of everything defensively–he’s no longer a liability. He’s a big league quality outfielder.”

Making the jump from AA to the Major Leagues is an iffy proposition (see Willy Taveras), so don’t expect Pence to make the Stros’ this coming season. But based on his performance in the fall league, the Stros will now give him every opportunity to make the big league club in spring training. And regardless of whether he makes it onto the Stros’ roster this fall, Pence’s development is a big deal for the Stros, whose farm system has not produced an above-average Major League hitter since Morgan Ensberg in 2003 and not generated a really good hitter since Lance Berkman in 2000. Trying to find good hitters on the Major League free agent market is expensive, so Pence may just be the Stros’ best alternative as they try to find that elusive, hard-hitting corner outfielder who can push them back into the MLB playoffs next season.