Pence could be the best from 2007 rookie class

Milwaukee's Ryan Braun won National League Rookie of the Year in 2007. Many thought Colorado's Troy Tulowitzki deserved it. But both might have been also-rans if it wasn't for a sprained wrist by Houston center fielder Hunter Pence.

That injury cost Pence a month of his rookie season. But his final numbers didn't hurt at all: Astros rookie records for extra-base hits (56), doubles (30), slugging percentage (.539) and average (.322). He's moving to right field – a more natural position for him - and at age 24, he could be the next breakout star in the NL.

"He's just one of those guys who you'll be talking about that's in the top three or four players in the league — for a long time to come," teammate Lance Berkman told the Houston Chronicle.

Pence is having an outstanding spring as well, leading a rebuilding Houston team with 23 hits and 13 RBI.

"He's a special player. He's a throw-back player," new Astros manager Cecil Cooper told the Chronicle. "He's an old-school player. He plays hard all the time. He's a rare breed."

Other storylines in Astros camp:

• Jose Cruz Jr. has played for eight big-league teams in his career, but No. 9 is very special to him. In fact, it's almost poetic that Cruz is vying for a roster spot on the team in which his father was one of the most popular players in team history (and its current first-base coach).
• Click at your own risk. For those of you curious about maladies that sound very, very painful, this one is definitely the worst of this spring in baseball, even though he should be back in April. Get well soon, Kaz Matsui.
• Miguel Tejada is feeling relaxed in his first camp with the Astros because he's not expected to carry the lineup the way he did in Baltimore. With Berkman, Carlos Lee, Pence and Ty Wigginton around, the veteran shortstop is comfortable just being one of the guys.

Photo: Hunter Pence of the Houston Astros hit 17 homers as a rookie in 2007. (Photo by Doug Benc/Getty Images)

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