Would you Rather? Gene Larkin or Torii Hunter?
By Brad Swanson
Torii thinks this is a stupid question. Mandatory Credit: Jesse Johnson-US PRESSWIRE
It’s an age old debate! Would you Rather? One of my favorite comedy podcasts, Comedy Bang Bang, often ends with a game of Would you Rather? The guests are given two scenarios and are forced to decide which of the two scenarios they would rather. Typically, the two scenarios are beyond bizarre, but comedy always ensues. In addition, Bill Simmons, a little-known sports writer from Boston, often posits whether one would rather have had Robert Horry’s career (role player with a bunch of Championships) or Karl Malone’s career (one of the 25 greatest players of all time, no Championships).
I have always found this to be a fascinating question. As a person with a psychology background, I wonder if this could be used as a projective personality test of some sort. Regardless, it makes an interesting conversation starter. I came up with a similar question, related to our beloved Twins franchise. Would you rather have had Gene Larkin‘s career or Torii Hunter‘s career?
Everyone knows that Torii Hunter is one of the most charismatic and beloved players in Twins history. He basically took over as center fielder from Kirby Puckett, another extremely charismatic and beloved player. Hunter forged his own identity and became one of the most productive Twins of the 2000s. Hunter played 9 full seasons for the Twins. Since leaving Minnesota for Anaheim, he has continued to put up impressive numbers for the past 5 seasons with the Angels. In addition to numbers, Hunter has made some of the most memorable catches in MLB history. He robbed an All-Star game home run from Barry Bonds. It appeared for a second that Bonds might powerbomb him, which would have likely been the most memorable moment in All-Star game history. Torii has never won a World Series and has never even played in a World Series game.
Gene Larkin had a short, 7-year career, all in Minnesota. He did not have the highlight reel that Hunter had. In fact, a quick youtube search for Larkin led me to this video and little else: Larkin’s Pipes Larkin appears at the 1:37 mark, sings a few bars and then laughs like a crazy person. (Note: watch the whole video, for the fashion, singing, nostalgia and the creepy Santa that threatens to come to your house at the very end). However, all singing aside, Larkin was a member of both the 1987 and 1991 Twins World Series Championship teams, even hitting the World Series winning single in the bottom of the 10th inning in 1991. When I close my eyes, I can see Larkin running down to first with his one arm raised in the air. Three players in the entire history of Major League Baseball have hit a game 7, extra inning walk-off hit: Earl McNeely, Edgar Renteria and Gene Larkin.
Here are a couple of charts I made to compare Larkin and Hunter:
G
PA
H
R
HR
RBI
SB
TB
AVG
OBP
OPS+
Torii Hunter
1947
7887
1986
1068
297
1143
186
3347
.277.335
111
Gene Larkin
758
2670
618
275
32
266
23
869
.266.348
98
WAR
$ Earned
WS Titles
Playoff GP
Playoff PA
Game 7 Walk-offs
Torii Hunter
44.4
134.5 Mil
0
34
148
0
Gene Larkin
0.3
2.8 Mil
2
13
12
1
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It is easy to see that Torii Hunter has had a much more accomplished career as an MLB player. Hunter has played roughly 3 times more games and has put up impressive counting stats. Larkin only played more than 119 games in a season twice. Hunter has played 14 full seasons, and played in fewer than 119 games only twice during that span. Hunter has also earned literally a truckload of money, depending on the denomination of the currency. His career is still in progress and he has been productive enough to likely get another 2 or 3 year contract, for good walkin’ around money. Larkin made almost 3 million himself, which is nothing to sneeze at (it might blow away). Larkin is best known for his Game 7 walk-off, but he only had 4 total plate appearances in that World Series. Hunter has played in far more playoff games and had a much larger role on those teams.
Larkin had a far less accomplished personal career and a more accomplished team career. Hunter could still win a World Series in his career, so that could certainly change this question significantly. As of right now, this makes for a very interesting question. Larkin was a part-time player who enjoyed immense team success, with two World Series championships. However, he was just a minor part of these teams. Hunter was a borderline star player for a long time and enjoyed modest team success, never reaching the highest level. At times, he was considered one of the best players on his team. So, would you rather have had Gene Larkin’s MLB career or Torii Hunter’s MLB career?