a decorated Joe Carter Jersey , productive player on the field," Rangers general manager Jon Daniels said of Pence, per Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News. "From a standpoint of pedigree, makeup and way he goes about the game, it's consistent with the messaging of what we want this team to be about."Fair enough. But what about his recent results?Pence picked up down-ballot MVP votes as recently as 2014, but injuries and inconsistency subsequently crept in.He slashed an anemic .226/.258/.332 in 97 games with the Giants in 2018, "good" for a career-low .590 OPS, and his iconic tenure in the City by the Bay came to an ignoble end, though he finished it with a characteristically classy farewell penned in The Players' Tribune.(We'll pause while you grab your hanky.)Back to the stats, Pence'shard-contact rate, per FanGraphs, sat at 30.3 percent in 2018 next to a career mark of 30.5 percent.Possibly...squint your eyes...wish upon a star...was he the victim of bad luck?Ross D. Franklin/Associated PressLikely not. Players of Pence's age don't generally enjoy career renaissances. But maybe?Pence is the type of dude who makes you want to believe.He attended Arlington High School in Texas, so there's the angleof a hometown boy on his last chance. There's also the "Hey, he changed his approach" angle.Pence did exactly that in the Dominican winter league, revamping everything from his swing to his running style."I really want to go and immerse myself in winter ball http://www.indiansfanproshop.com/authentic-b.j.-upton-jersey , and really feel it out and see if I can make the adjustments," Pence said, per NBC Sports Bay Area's Alex Pavlovic.The results were good but not great, with a .276 average and .704 OPS in 31 plate appearances. Not enough to prove he was back to his All-Star self, but enough for the Rangers to take a low-risk flier.Can he catch on in a crowded Rangers outfield that features Joey Gallo, Nomar Mazara, Delino DeShields, Willie Calhoun and Carlos Tocci, among others?It'll take more than likability. Scooters and speeches and sitcom cameos won't cut it.He'll have to play like the Pence of old, or something approaching it, the guy who once reeled in $90 million and bathed in bubbly and confetti with the Giants.Jeff Chiu/Associated PressIt's a long shot, no question. The counterpoint, as Pence wrote in his Players' Tribune piece: "Idefinitely wish some of the greatest times in our lives could go on forever and somehow, I believe they do."He might not deserve a spot on Texas' 25-man roster. He might not snag one. His professional baseball career could end with a whimper rather than a bang, as so many do. But it's nearly impossible to root against Hunter Pence. All statistics courtesy of Baseball Reference. NEW YORK (AP) — Jessica Mendoza has heard the ribbing.An ESPN “Sunday Night Baseball” analyst since 2015 Corey Kluber Jersey , she added a part-time role last month as a New York Mets baseball operations adviser.“OK, you work for the Mets, we can’t talk to you anymore,” she recalled hearing from teams during her spring training rounds, quickly adding “in a joking way.”She’s not worried that wearing two hats will lead to less inside info for her two ears. In an era when players and clubs treat the tiniest tidbit as a state secret, Mendoza already felt teams were hesitant to provide her intelligence in her pundit role because they knew “information they would give me as a member from ESPN was about to go on air.” She doesn’t expect that to change with the new job title.Mendoza spoke Thursday during a conference call with booth-mate Alex Rodriguez to promote the 30th anniversary of ESPN’s Sunday night broadcasts, which also include play-by-play man Matt Vasgersian.Mark Gross, ESPN senior vice president of production and remote events, expressed confidence in Mendoza’s impartiality. She will continue to broadcast games involving the Mets.“We’re not looking to fool anybody. We’re not looking to trick the viewers into anything,” he said. “We’ll be upfront with viewers off the top of the game, letting people know, and we will let the viewers decide ultimately if this is something that they’re on board with.”Rodriguez has been a New York Yankees adviser since his retirement, among several players to work as broadcasters while retaining a part-time role with a team.“Alex’s commentary last year on a Yankee game was no different than if it was on any other game,” Gross said.A member of the U.S. Olympic softball team in 2004 and 2008, Mendoza said new Mets general manager Brodie Van Wagenen first spoke with her about a position last August or September Ricky Vaughn Jersey , when he still was co-head of the CAA Baseball agency and was preparing to interview with New York.“I’m actually putting you in my presentation and I just wanted to get your OK with that, your thoughts,” she remembered him saying. “So we kind of started talking about it then, and from there, obviously, he got the job.”Van Wagenen asked her at first whether she would move to New York to work for the Mets full-time, an entreaty Mendoza took as “a little joking.” The 38-year-old wanted to remain in California, where her kids go to school.She views ESPN as her “full-bore priority.” Mendoza has spent one day working for the Mets since she was hired March 5.Mendoza says she isn’t worried that Mets owner Fred Wilpon or chief operating officer Jeff Wilpon, the owner’s son, would be upset if she is critical. Mendoza promises to be just as reproving directly with team management.“Part of my job is to kind of look, evaluate and knowing that, be honest. I’m an analyst first,” she said. “I would hope that that’s why they hired me, because of my honesty and criticism and not just to say all the right things.”