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His father Theotis, a Vietnam veteran, often spent his paychecks as a railroad electrician on booze and crack cocaine and would sometimes go missing for weeks. He and his three brothers grew up in an impoverished neighborhood downtown, where crime and drugs were prevalent. Torii Kedar Hunter was born on July 18, 1975, in Pine Bluff, Arkansas.

(cover photo: USA Today Sports/Jesse Ferguson)Įmbed from Getty Images Torii Hunter: Before Professional Baseball Career: 110 OPS+, 50.7 WAR ( Wins Above Replacement).Torii Hunter ( Sports Illustrated, May 30, 2005)

“I’ll do anything to get that little white ball. Life and baseball did not come as easily to Hunter as it did for many other Cooperstown candidates but he persevered and became one of the hardest-playing and most well-liked players throughout the game. That’s far shy of the 75% required for a plaque in Cooperstown but well above the minimum of 5% required to remain on the ballot for the next year.ĭoes Hunter have a legitimate Hall of Fame case? I’ll take a closer look after a recap of his career highlights and his interesting life story. On a ballot markedly weaker than many of the ones that proceeded it, Hunter got 9.5% of the vote. Having retired after the 2015 season, Hunter joined Bonds on the BBWAA (Baseball Writers Association of America) ballot for the Hall of Fame for the first time in December 2020. Hunter’s defensive prowess was firmly implanted into the brains of baseball fans throughout the world when he robbed Barry Bonds of a home run in the 2002 All-Star Game. Offensively, he hit 353 home runs while accumulating 2,452 career hits. He was not exactly what you would call a graceful fielder but he could range far to both sides to chase a fly ball while also earning the nickname “Spider-Man” due to his ability to scale the walls to rob opposing hitters of home runs. The Arkansas native won 9 Gold Gloves in his 19-year Major League Baseball career. He was the quintessential “fly-chaser” who would relish a collision with the outfield wall as if he was still playing free safety in high school, colliding with an opposing running back or receiver. Torii Hunter was simply fun to watch when he was roaming center field.