A terrific Arizona Fall League season ended early for the top position prospect in the system as a result of his arrest over the weekend on charges of driving under the influence of alcohol. Pence was hitting .339/.379/.565 with three home runs and 11 RBIs in 15 games at the time of his arrest. He was also six for six in stolen base attempts and was drawing plaudits for his defense in both RF and CF.
“Pence, 23, was arrested at 3:32 a.m. Sunday in Scottsdale, Ariz., while driving erratically, according to court records. He was booked and released with a promise to appear at his arraignment scheduled for Wednesday. He was charged with a Class 1 misdemeanor, punishable by a maximum of six months in jail, a $2,500 fine and five years probation, and a minimum of 10 days in jail, nine of which can be suspended if an alcohol program is taken.”
“(Tim) Purpura said Pence will be evaluated through the club’s employee assistance program.”
From Brian McTaggart’s article in the Chron.
“Astros general manager Tim Purpura said the club will “absolutely” take disciplinary action against outfield prospect Hunter Pence, who was recently arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol.”
“Pence met with assistant general manager Ricky Bennett on Thursday in Houston and will speak with Purpura on Friday. The staff has discussed disciplinary options, but Purpura declined to elaborate on what measures the Astros will take with Pence.”
From Footer’s article on the Astros website.
One might argue that disciplinary action has already been taken, in the form of Pence’s early termination of his AFL season. The Astros may possibly take other measures as well, though based on past experience it’s doubtful the club will make any public announcement as to their nature.