Torii Hunter Jr. – a star football player at Notre Dame – is putting the gridiron in the rearview mirror in hopes of playing professional baseball like his father.
Hunter was a team captain on the football team this past season, where he caught 73 passes and 6 touchdowns during his career with the Fighting Irish.
It’s also worth noting that Hunter has already received his degree in information technology management and would rather play professional baseball, despite one year left of football eligibility.
Love thee! 🍀🍀🍀 pic.twitter.com/aBOBPPHdIy
— Torii Hunter Jr. (@THunterJr) December 15, 2016
He did play baseball at Notre Dame but was mostly used as a pinch runner, collecting just 11 at bats during his two seasons on the baseball team.
The 21-year-old was drafted in the 23rd round of the MLB Draft last June by the Los Angeles Angels.
“We were willing to take a chance,” said Angels director of scouting Ric Wilson to MILB.com. “It’s hard to turn those kind of tools away. He can run, he’s got some power, he’s got some strength to him; he’s very, very athletic.
According to NBC Sports, Hunter hasn’t played a full season of baseball since 2012 when he was a junior in high school.
His father – Torii Hunter – was inducted into the Twins Hall of Fame this summer after 12 seasons with the Twins and was a five-time All-Star and a nine-time Gold Glove winner.
The elder Hunter also played five seasons with the Angels from 2008-2012
