With the results of Hall of Fame voting coming next week, it’s time to look at certain players and determine if they are truly Hall of Fame material.
One player on the ballot this year is former Minnesota Twins star Torii Hunter.
The outfielder and slugger had a solid career, winning two Silver Slugger Awards, nine Gold Gloves, and earning five All-Star nods.
The veteran outfielder spent much of his career with the Twins, but also enjoyed a five-year stint with the Los Angeles Angels and a two-year stint with the Detroit Tigers.
On MLB Network, analysts Keith Costas and Jon Morosi put together a rather compelling case for Hunter to be enshrined in Cooperstown.
Is Torii Hunter a Hall of Famer?@keithcostas and @jonmorosi make the Cooperstown case for the 9x Gold Glove winner. pic.twitter.com/O1IDf5o2OS
— MLB Network (@MLBNetwork) January 19, 2023
During Hunter’s run of nine consecutive Gold Gloves, his offense was quite good too, as his 162-game averages for those seasons prove.
He averaged a .275 batting average, 29 home runs, 103 RBI, 95 runs scored, an .816 OPS, and a 112 OPS+.
Hunter is also one of just three center fielders in the history of the game to hit at least 353 career home runs and steal 195 or more bases, joining Willie Mays and Carlos Beltran.
Hunter did of course deal with several injuries during his career, but his numbers were still pretty solid.
In terms of career stats, his numbers were almost completely on par with Andruw Jones, with Jones’ only major advantage being in the home run category.
In other categories, such as RBI, average, and OPS, Hunter had the edge.
Morosi also stated that he hopes to one day hear Hunter’s Cooperstown speech.
There certainly is a compelling argument for Hunter to be enshrined in Cooperstown, and we’ll see which direction he trends in this year.
