Torii Hunter

Torii Kedar Hunter was born on July 18, 1975 in Pine Bluff, Arkansas.

The Minnesota Twins selected him in round one of the 1993 MLB Draft. He often struggled offensively in the minor leagues, posting a .642 OPS in 127 games at the Double-A level in 1997. Hunter made his Major League debut that year, but he never hit or saw the field. His lone action as a big league player in 1997 came as a pinch runner on August 22nd in a 3-1 loss against the Baltimore Orioles. Hunter went 4-for-17 (.235) with a double and two walks in limited Major League action during the 1998 campaign, but his minor league offense was finally improving.

Minnesota named Hunter as their Opening Day center fielder in 1999, and he slashed .255/.309/.380 with nine home runs and 35 RBI in his first season as a big league regular. Some early struggles in 2000 saw Hunter get sent back to Triple-A, but he was back with the Twins two months later. Hunter finished that season on a tear, batting .332 with five home runs and 35 RBI in 53 games after getting re-called. He had been batting just .207 on the day of his demotion in late-May.

2001 was a breakout year for Hunter. He hit 27 home runs and won his first of nine consecutive Gold Glove awards, helping lead the Twins to their first winning season since 1992. Hunter was even better in 2002, hitting .289 with 29 home runs and 94 RBI. Minnesota made the postseason for the first time since 1991, and Hunter finished sixth in the AL MVP voting. His 23 steals that season would wind up being a career high. He famously robbed Barry Bonds of a home run during the 2002 All-Star Game in Milwaukee. This is arguably the most iconic moment of his career.

The Twins repeated as AL Central champions in 2003, and again in 2004. Hunter led the team in RBI both times, including his first career 100 RBI season in 2003. He hit his first career postseason home run off Andy Pettitte in game two of the 2003 ALDS. Hunter also had a "Little League home run" in game one of that series, hitting a triple and then scoring on a bad throw that came into third.

His 2005 season was cut short by an ankle injury suffered at Fenway Park on July 29th. He suffered a broken ankle and ligament damage while trying to scale the outfield fence and take a hit away from former Twins teammate David Ortiz. Minnesota sat just one game out of the AL Wild Card spot on the day of the injury, but they went just 29-31 for the rest of their schedule. This caused them to miss the playoffs for the first time since 2001. Despite playing only 98 games in 2005, Hunter was still awarded his fifth consecutive Gold Glove.

A fully healthy Hunter hit a career high 31 home runs in 2006. This made him the first Twins player to hit 30 home runs since Tom Brunansky, Gary Gaetti, Kent Hrbek all accomplished it in 1987. Justin Morneau also joined Hunter in the 30 home run club that season, hitting 34 and winning AL MVP. Minnesota was back on top of the AL Central that season, and returned to the playoffs after a one year absence.

Hunter entered a contract year in 2007, and the off-season was full of both extension talks and trade rumors. Neither got done, leaving Hunter to play out the year with a .287 average and a career best 107 RBI. His 15th place finish in AL MVP voting was his highest since 2002. Minnesota finished 79-83, suffering their first losing season since 2001. Hunter signed a five year, $90 million deal with the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim in free agency. It was reported that the Twins best offer came in at three years and $45 million.

He slashed .286/.352/.462 during his five seasons with the Angles, winning his first career Silver Slugger in 2009. While Hunter was still highly productive at the plate, there was a noticeable decline in his defense while in Los Angeles. He finished with -11 defensive runs saved in 2010, and was moved to right field at age 35 in 2011. The Angels reached the playoffs twice during Hunter's tenure there, and never finished with fewer than 80 wins between 2008 and 2012. They reached the ACLS in 2009. He was a .300 hitter for the first time in his career during the 2012 season.

The Detroit Tigers signed Hunter to a two year, $26 million deal ahead of the 2013 season. He hit .304 during his first year in Detroit, winning his second career Silver Slugger. Hunter hit .286 with 17 home runs in 2014. The Tigers were AL Central champions in each season with Hunter on the team. They reached the ALCS in 2013.

Hunter returned to Minnesota in 2015 at the age of 39, signing a one year deal with $10.5 million. The Twins had suffered through four consecutive 90 loss seasons, and were hoping some veteran leadership could help spark an otherwise young roster. He wasn't productive at the plate or in the field, posting a sub-.300 on-base percentage for the first time in his career with -8 defensive runs saved in right field. But perhaps the veteran leadership did spark the performance of others in the clubhouse, as Minnesota surprised some people en route to an 83-79 finish. They were mathematically alive for a Wild Card spot as late as their 161st game.

He announced his retirement from professional baseball on October 26, 2015. Hunter became a special assistant to Twins general manager Terry Ryan in 2016, and continued in that role after Minnesota changed over their front office a year later. He left the organization in 2024, taking a similar position with the Angels.

• 2x Calvin R. Griffin Award (2002, 2007)
  • Twins MVP
• 2004 Carl R. Pohlad Award
  • Outstanding community service by a Twins player or coach
• 2024 Kirby Puckett Award
  • Outstanding community service by a Twins alumi
• 2015 Bob Allison Award
  • Outstanding leadership by a Twins player
• 3x Mike Agustin Award (2006-07, 2015)
  • Twins player who is seen as a "media good guy"
• 5x All-Star (2002, 2007, 2009-10, 2013)
• 9x Gold Glove (2001-09)
• 2x Silver Slugger (2009, 2013)
• 3x AL leader in assists by a center fielder (2000-01, 2006)
• 2013 AL leader in assists by a right fielder
• April 2002 AL Player of the Month
• 3x AL Player of the Week
• Most home runs (353), doubles (498) and RBI (1,391) by a player born in Arkansas
• Second highest bWAR among 1993 first round picks
  • Trails Alex Rodriguez