Torii Hunter

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Torii Hunter
Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim — No. 48
Center Fielder
Born: July 18, 1975 (1975-07-18) (age 33) Pine Bluff , Arkansas
Bats: Right	Throws: Right
MLB debut
August 22, 1997 for the Minnesota Twins
Career statistics (through July 7, 2009)
Batting average	.274
Home runs	230
Runs batted in	854
Stolen bases	158
Teams
Minnesota Twins (1997-2007) Los Angeles Angels (2008-present)
Career highlights and awards
3x All-Star selection (2002, 2007, 2009) 8x Gold Glove Award winner (2001-08)

Hunter while playing for the Minnesota Twins in 2007

Torii Kedar Hunter (pronounced /ˈtɔri/; born July 18, 1975, in Pine Bluff, Arkansas) is a Major League Baseball outfielder for the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim.

Hunter has taken away many home runs throughout his 11-year baseball career for the Minnesota Twins by "climbing the fence" in the outfield. ESPN commentators^[who?] have called Hunter a "daily web gem," referring to ESPN's nightly highlight reel. He has won eight consecutive Gold Glove Awards as an outfielder.

Hunter resides during the off-season in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex suburb of Prosper, Texas. He is a cousin of former MLB outfielder Choo Freeman.^[1] Despite the same spelling, Hunter was not named after torii, the gates to a Japanese Shinto shrine. Hunter says jokingly, "I think, when my mom filled out the paperwork after I was born, she accidentally put two 'I's."^[2]

[edit] Professional career

[edit] Minnesota Twins

Hunter was selected as the Twins' first-round pick in 1993 out of high school, and made his first appearance with the Twins as a pinch runner in Baltimore on August 22, 1997. It was not until 1999 that Hunter began starting regularly, playing in 135 games for the Twins. He finished with only one error in 292 chances in the outfield.

Hunter exploded onto the scene in the beginning of April in 2000, but his batting average dropped to .207 by the end of May. He was subsequently sent down to Triple-A to work on his mechanics at the plate; however with Hunter's new approach at the plate, he caught fire in the month of June, capping it with a two-home run, seven-RBI game and being named the Twins' Minor League Player of the Week and Player of the Month. After a 16-game hitting streak, four consecutive games with home runs and three grand slams, Hunter was recalled by the Twins on July 28. Hunter was named both Best Defensive Outfielder and Most Exciting Player in Pacific Coast League by Baseball America for 2000.

In 2001, Hunter led the Twins in at bats, home runs and outfield assists (with 14 - tied for second best in the league), and was second in RBI and total bases, leading the Twins to their first winning season since 1992. Hunter led all major league center fielders in range factor (3.29), and was named Best Defensive Outfielder in the American League by Baseball America. He also won his first Rawlings Gold Glove Award in 2001.

In 2002, Hunter began to post near-MVP numbers, and was a serious^{[weasel words]} contender for the award a good portion of the year. In the month of April, he went 39-105 (a .371 average) with nine home runs and 20 RBI, winning American League Player of the Month honors.

Hunter was selected by the fans to his first All-Star Game, in Milwaukee in 2002, becoming the first Twin since Kirby Puckett in 1995 to start an All-Star game in center field. One of the biggest moments came in the first inning, when, with two outs, Barry Bonds sent what appeared to be a towering home run to right-center field. Hunter, who had built a reputation for his outfield thievery in the American League, jumped and caught the ball over the wall. He was playfully lifted by Bonds en route to the dugout in a show of respect for Hunter's defensive play.

After the game, when asked about the play, Chicago Cubs right fielder Sammy Sosa dubbed him "Spider-Man".

Although there were no awards given at the All-Star game, because the game ended in a tie, the catch was later awarded as the Best Defensive Play of the Year by the fans.

Hunter, along with an improved team and solid bullpen pitching, led a resurgence in the latter half of the season which powered the Twins to win the American League Central Division. The team would advance to the ALCS, where they would lose to the Anaheim Angels 4 games to 1. The Angels went on to win their first World Series championship.

Despite losing in the ALCS, it was still a very good year for the ballclub, and by far the best year for Hunter. He led the club in home runs, RBI, and stolen bases, and was tied for the lead in games and doubles. Hunter won the team's Calvin R. Griffith Award as Most Valuable Twin for 2002. He ended the season sixth in the MVP voting, and also earned his second Gold Glove in center field. Hunter was additionally voted baseball's Best Defensive Player Award for 2002 by the fans.

Hunter struggled offensively in 2003. Although he played in a career high 154 games, he often struggled at the plate, achieving an OPS (on-base plus slugging) of .763 and a batting average of just .250, .039 lower than in 2002. He stole just six bases, while being thrown out seven times, easily the worst ratio of his career. His defense was still strong enough to win his third straight Gold Glove for his play in center field.

Hunter missed much of the 2005 season after breaking his ankle and tearing ligaments when he attempted to scale the right field wall in Fenway Park on July 29. Despite playing essentially only half a season, Hunter was awarded his fifth consecutive Gold Glove.

On Mother's Day, May 14, 2006, Hunter was one of more than 50 hitters who brandished a pink bat to benefit the Breast Cancer Foundation.

On the last day of the regular season, Hunter hit his career-high 31st home run, helping the Twins to their fourth division title in five years.

On October 10, the Twins notified Hunter that they had picked up his $12 million option for the 2007 season, keeping him from becoming a free agent.

[edit] Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim

After turning down a three-year, $45 million deal in August 2007 from the Twins, Hunter went on to sign the largest contract offered to him.^[3] On November 21, he signed a five-year contract with the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim worth $90 million. He replaced Gary Matthews Jr. as the everyday center fielder.^[4]

In 2009 he was named # 44 on the Sporting News' list of the 50 greatest current players in baseball. A panel of 100 baseball people, many of them members of the Baseball Hall of Fame and winners of major baseball awards, was polled to arrive at the list.[1]

Hunter hit three home runs in one game against the San Diego Padres on June 13, 2009. It was the first time in his career he had accomplished the feat. On July 5, 2009, Hunter was selected to represent Los Angeles in the 2009 All-Star Game, making his third appearance.

[edit] Career earnings

As of 2008 season

[edit] Charity

Hunter contributes to many charities and even made a baseball field in Southern California for children.^{[citation needed]}

[edit] Highlights

Hunter began the 2007 season with one of the fastest starts to a season in his career, featuring a 23-game hitting streak starting in mid-April and ending on May 10.^[5]

Hunter hit three grand slams in 2007: April 17 in Seattle, May 18 in Milwaukee, and August 15 again in Seattle.

On October 27, Hunter won the Players Choice Award for Marvin Miller Man of the Year.^[6] On October 29, Hunter filed for free agency. ^[7]

On November 6, it was announced that Hunter had been awarded his seventh consecutive Gold Glove Award. Hunter received the award in the opening series against the Minnesota Twins, his former team.

[edit] See also

• List of Major League Baseball leaders in career stolen bases
• Major League Baseball hitters with three home runs in one game

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• Career statistics and player information from MLB, or ESPN, or Baseball-Reference, or Fangraphs, or The Baseball Cube
• The official website of the Torii Hunter Project
• Twins TV commercial