Minnesota Twins outfielder Torii Hunter was one of the greatest outfielders in Major League Baseball history but his case to be inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame was growing dim before Tuesday’s announcement of the 2025 class.
While Hunter didn’t get close to the 75 percent required for induction into the Hall of Fame, he was able to stay alive, just barely crossing the five-percent threshold required to remain on the ballot with 5.1 percent of the vote.
The amount doesn’t mean Hunter will someday find his way to Cooperstown but he has five years remaining to plead his case as a player who was one of the best defenders of his generation.
Torii Hunter’s defensive accolades warrant induction into the Hall of Fame
Hunter wasn’t a star on the same level as 2025 inductees Ichiro Suzuki, Billy Wagner and C.C. Sabathia during the 2000s but he was just as notable, winning nine straight Gold Glove Awards including seven with the Twins.
While his total number of awards is impressive, it’s even more so when you consider he did it consecutively from 2001 to 2009. Suzuki, Andruw Jones, Ken Griffey Jr., Willie Mays and Roberto Clemente are the only outfielders in MLB history to win at least nine or more Gold Glove Awards in consecutive seasons and Hunter’s came with some breathtaking moments including robbing Barry Bonds in the 2002 All-Star Game.
But while Hunter got it done in the field, he was more than capable at the plate. Hunter hit .277/.331/.461 with 353 home runs and 1,391 RBI during his career and is one of five players in MLB history to finish his career with at least 350 home runs, 150 stolen bases, 450 doubles and 2,400 hits.
Still, that hasn’t been enough for voters to take notice. In his first four years on the ballot, Hunter had 9.5 percent, 5.3 percent, 6.9 percent and 7.3 percent of the vote but this year’s drop doesn’t seem to bode well even though Suzuki made the era he played in greater by becoming a near-unanimous inductee for the Hall of Fame on Tuesday.
It’s a situation that means Hunter faces a steep climb to get into Cooperstown. But Tuesday’s numbers indicate there’s still a chance.