Hunter Pence

Officially, the San Francisco Giants' mascot is Lou Seal—a beer-bellied, semi-aquatic marine mammal in an oversized T-shirt.

In reality, the team's mascot, spark plug and beating heart is Hunter Andrew Pence.

Down goes Hunter Pence. Again.

Rest of the San Francisco Giants offense, that's your cue to get going now.

Hunter Pence's injury woes don't seem to be going away, as the San Francisco Giants outfielder is now battling a hamstring strain and has been placed on the disabled list. It is unclear when he will be able to return.

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Hunter Pence is excited about an Opening Day victory and the rest of the month of April.

Hunter Pence is the ultimate X-factor.

The dynamic right fielder is just the kind of game-changer who could vault the San Francisco Giants to yet another October run—that is, if his strained oblique allows him to fulfill that role.

Looking around the league, Pence is far from the only wild card who will have a dramatic impact on how the playoff chase shakes out. The idea here is to focus in on those players and storylines that will have a significant but unpredictable influence during the home stretch.

San Francisco Giants outfielder Hunter Pence was out of Tuesday's lineup against the St. Louis Cardinals with a left oblique injury, according to Carl Steward of the San Jose Mercury News.

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San Francisco Giants outfielder Hunter Pence may be headed to the disabled list as he continues to deal with a wrist injury.

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"Today, we're going to pull every fiber of our beings, collectively—I'm going to challenge each and every one of you—every fiber of your being to see yourself as a World Series champion..."—Hunter Pence addressing the crowd at AT&T Park after the final regular-season game of 2014.

When a ridiculous amount of criticism—whether in good and harmless fun or something different—is hurled an athlete's way, it can be used as motivation or just laughed at altogether. Hunter Pence is doing the latter.

The San Francisco Giants have been one of the most active teams since the 2013 season ended. GM Brian Sabean has aggressively moved to restock the Giants roster, bringing back several familiar faces and adding two new free agents.