Torii Hunter in baseball’s hall of fame?
It’s a question the Bleacher Report is examining today, on the heels of Hunters’ 300th home run at Target Field on Sunday, as he led the Tigers to a 5-2 win over his former team, the Minnesota Twins.
But … Hunter in the hall?
Columnist Chris Schad figures if Kirby Puckett got in with his numbers, Hunter could be there as well.
Hunter: .277 career batting average with 300 homers, 1,170 RBIs and a .799 OPS (on-base percentage plus slugging percentage).
Puckett: .318 BA, 207 HRS, 1,085 RBIs and a ,837 OPS.
First ballot stats? Probably not. But if he gets in, Hunter probably won’t be on the waiting list as long as Bert Blyleven was.
Looking back, GamedayGold.com writer Eric Nelson says letting Hunter go in 2007 was one of the “worst decisions in Twins history.”
Nelson talked with Hunter after Sunday’s game. He says hitting homer No. 300 was a special day.
“I hit my first home run in a Twins uniform against the Tigers in old Tiger Stadium,” Hunter said. “Then I hit my 300th home run here at Target Field against the Twins with the Tigers. It’s kind of weird just to look at it like that. But it’s a special day for me, to hit it on Father’s Day, here in the place where I grew up…”
