By Matt Rappa, Sports Talk Philly editor 
Three-time All-Star, two-time World Series champion and former Philadelphia Phillies outfielder — Hunter Pence — has inked a contract for the 2019 season after slashing .276/.290/.414 with eight hits, six RBI and 12 total bases spanning eight games and 29 at-bats during the recently concluded Dominican Winter League.
On Thursday, the Texas Rangers inked the Fort Worth native to a minor-league contract with an invitation to spring training, according to BBWAA's Bernie Pleskoff. Pence returns to his native state, after beginning the first four-plus seasons of his career with the Houston Astros before being dealt to the Phillies in July 2011. Pence will earn a $2 million base, plus $1.25 million in incentives, according to Jon Heyman.
Thankful for this opportunity and appreciative of where I’ve been https://t.co/kmXPmfzkSI
— Hunter Pence (@hunterpence) February 7, 2019
Pence played in parts of two seasons with the Phillies — 2011 and 2012 — when in 155 games and 676 plate appearances, he slashed .289/.357/.486 with 27 doubles, 28 home runs and 94 RBI.
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The Phillies dealt Pence to the San Francisco Giants at the 2012 non-waiver trade deadline for Tommy Joseph, Seth Rosin and Nate Schierholtz. Joseph was the last player to remain in the organization; he became a Texas Ranger himself in March 2018, but is set to play in Korea in 2019.
Pence won two World Series with the Giants in 2012 and 2014; in 11 career World Series games, the he has 10 runs scored, four doubles, one home run, six RBI, four walks and eight strikeouts spanning 46 plate appearances. Pence produced a career-worst .226 average in 2018 with the Giants, logging only 16 extra-base hits over 97 games.
