Hall of Fame Poll: Torii Hunter

Torii Hunter had a much better career than my memory told me he had.

He played 19 seasons in the MLB (though he played just seven games in the first two, so they shouldn’t count). He played in 2372 games, had 2452 hits, 353 home runs and a .277/.331/.461 batting line, good for a 50.7 bWAR. He also had 195 steals.

It is Torii’s sixth time on the ballot. He’s been on 9.5%, 5.3%, 6.9%, 7.3% and 5.1% last year, of the ballots in his first five times. He just made it over the bar to get to be on the ballot again.

He made it to the playoffs eight times but didn’t get that World Series ring. Torii was also an outstanding defensive center fielder. He won 9 Gold Gloves in center field. Scott Rolen got into the Hall largely on the strength of his glove. Maybe Hunter deserves to be there on his strength?

He made 5 All-Star teams, had 2 Silver Slugger Awards, and got MVP votes five times. His highest finish was 6th.

He was on teams that made the playoffs eight times and hit .274/.340/.414 with 4 home runs in 48 games.

Torii was consistent, having OPS+ values between 102 and 129 in 14 seasons and bWAR values between 3 and 5.4 for 12 straight seasons. His peak wasn’t as high as many Hall of Fame players, but he didn’t have dips in his career. He was good for several years but perhaps never great.

I prefer him in the Hall to Harold Baines, but perhaps Baines isn’t the bar we should use.

Hunter would be an excellent fit for the Jays in his prime. However, I’d love to have a CFer who is good with a glove and a consistent bat.

Hunter is one of those guys who will have to build a little bit each year if he makes it to the Hall, and so far, it hasn’t happened.

You can see his career stats here.