Torii Hunter

Torii Kedar Hunter was born on July 18, 1975, in Pine Bluff, Arkansas, and grew up in a low-income neighborhood near Main Street with his three brothers. He started playing baseball at age eight and later took up football, where he played quarterback and free safety. At Pine Bluff High School, he earned All-State honors in baseball during his junior and senior years, and also competed in football, basketball, and track. His high school coach recalled him hitting a 550-foot home run. In 1992, Hunter made the U.S. Junior Olympic team but struggled to pay the $500 fee; he wrote a letter to then-Governor Bill Clinton, who covered the cost. Hunter chose to enter professional baseball instead of attending the University of Arkansas.

The Minnesota Twins picked Hunter 20th overall in the 1993 draft, using a compensation pick from the Cincinnati Reds for signing John Smiley. He debuted as a pinch runner on August 22, 1997, in Baltimore. Hunter became a regular starter in 1999, playing 135 games and committing just one error in 292 outfield chances. After a slow start in 2000—his average fell to .207 by late May—he was sent to Triple-A Salt Lake to refine his swing. There, he caught fire in June, hitting two home runs and driving in seven runs in one game, earning Minor League Player of the Week and Player of the Month honors. Following a 16-game hitting streak, four straight games with home runs, and three grand slams, the Twins recalled him on July 28. Baseball America named him the Best Defensive Outfielder and Most Exciting Player in the Pacific Coast League for 2000.

In 2001, Hunter led the Twins in at-bats, home runs, and outfield assists (14, tied for second in the league), and ranked second in RBIs and total bases. The team posted its first winning season since 1992. He led all major league center fielders in range factor (3.29) and won his first Gold Glove Award, while Baseball America named him the Best Defensive Outfielder in the American League. The following year, Hunter put up near-MVP numbers.

In April, he batted .371 with nine home runs and 20 RBIs, earning AL Player of the Month honors. Fans voted him to his first All-Star Game in Milwaukee, making him the first Twin to start in center field since Kirby Puckett in 1995. In the first inning, he robbed Barry Bonds of a home run by leaping over the right-center field wall, a catch later voted the This Year in Baseball Best Defensive Play of the Year. The Twins won the AL Central and advanced to the ALCS, losing to the Anaheim Angels in five games.

Hunter led the team in home runs, RBIs, and stolen bases, and tied for the lead in games and doubles. He won the Calvin R. Griffith Award as Most Valuable Twin, finished sixth in MVP voting, earned his second Gold Glove, and was voted baseball’s Best Defensive Player by fans.

Hunter struggled offensively in 2003, playing a career-high 154 games but posting a .250 average and .763 OPS, with only six stolen bases and seven caught stealing. His defense remained strong, earning him a third straight Gold Glove. In 2005, he missed much of the season after breaking his ankle and tearing ligaments while trying to scale the right-field wall at Fenway Park on July 29. Despite playing roughly half the season, he won his fifth consecutive Gold Glove. On the final day of the 2006 regular season, he hit his career-high 31st home run, helping the Twins secure their fourth division title in five years. The Twins picked up his $12 million option for 2007 on October 10, keeping him from free agency.

After turning down a three-year, $45 million offer from the Twins in August 2007, Hunter signed a five-year, $90 million contract with the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. He currently serves as a Special Assistant to Angels general manager Perry Minasian. Over his MLB career, Hunter was a five-time All-Star, won nine consecutive Gold Glove Awards as a center fielder, and earned two Silver Slugger Awards.