SURPRISE, Ariz. -- There may not be room on the Rangers' Opening Day roster for both Hunter Pence and Willie Calhoun, but if they are in a heated battle for an outfield roster spot, you can’t tell by watching their daily interactions.
Calhoun has just about attached himself to Pence, a 12-year veteran who is more than happy to talk baseball with any teammate.
“I am learning from Willie,” Pence said. “We are just discussing baseball, talking life, getting to know each other. It has been fun talking with him. We’re just discussing thought processes, mentality, life. He is just an awesome kid. Just fun to talk to him, a fun guy to be around.”
The two had much to talk about on Monday afternoon in Goodyear while the Rangers were playing the Indians. Pence started at designated hitter and Calhoun was on the bench. He was there to replace Pence in the late innings.
They spent the time talking baseball, and Calhoun brought up a recurring theme for him this spring.
“I was talking to him about approach,” Calhoun said. “In the Minor Leagues, I knew I was dominant. I was so confident, I didn’t care who was pitching. Get to the big leagues, I’m completely different.”
Calhoun said Pence had some advice for him.
“He’s like, 'Go out there and relax, bro,’” Calhoun said. “Don’t give pitchers credit.”
Calhoun took over for Pence in the eighth inning and had a single and a double in the Rangers’ 11-5 victory.
“I told him I’m going to treat every pitcher like he is a Minor Leaguer and I saw immediate results,” Calhoun said. “I went 2-for-2. No matter if it’s [Justin] Verlander on the mound or whoever. I’m not going to put up them up on pedestal.”
Pence was there to watch it. Instead of heading to the clubhouse after being pulled from a Spring Training game, Pence stayed on the bench for nine innings.
“It just shows you how committed he is to this team,” manager Chris Woodward said. “How much he wants to be a part of it and his leadership ability.”
Pence doesn’t seem himself as a mentor, and he says it’s not about pulling a young player aside to tell him how it’s done.
“It’s just being a teammate,” Pence said. “It’s not saying, ‘This is what you have to do.’ It’s more like, 'How can we be better together?' It’s an open door. We both grow and get better from working together. ‘What do you think about this? ... I felt this. … 'Oh yeah you’re right.’ Just that open discussion.”
Calhoun has had many people help him in his quest to become a Major League player. He and Delino DeShields are especially close. But Calhoun grew up in the Bay Area and was a Giants fan. He knows who Pence is.
“I’m just trying to learn from him because he has been around the game so long,” Calhoun said. “I ask a lot of stuff like how he handled failure when he was a younger player. He just told me he always believed in himself. He believed himself every step of the way [regardless if] he was having a really low day. He said him having that belief made him strong.”
As for competing for the same job, Pence was clear about that.
“I am not competing for a job with anyone,” Pence said. “We are here to compete to win a World Series and be the best team we can be. That’s the only mentality I have. We want the best of everyone.”