In 1993, the Minnesota Twins drafted a 17-year old kid named Torii Hunter out of Pine Bluff Arkansas High School. He was the 20th overall pick, a first rounder who was highly touted to be a future baseball star.  In 1994, Hunter played some games at C.O. Brown Stadium against the Michigan Battlecats in the Midwest League, as a member of the Fort Wayne Wizards.

Hunter hit .293 for the Wizards, with 10 home runs, and played well. But what I remember most are some of the fans at C.O. Brown. Whenever the Wizards were in town, several young women showed up a the park, dressed in their Sunday best, and sometimes their Saturday Night best.   They were hoping for a chance to the young guy that everybody liked and thought had a great and lucrative future in baseball. They were right to think so. He made about $171 million dollars in his major league career.

By August of 1997, he was in the majors to stay---a great 19-year major league career that officially ended yesterday. Torii Hunter, the Twins right fielder has decided to retire. The 40-year old Hunter hit .277 with 353 homers in 19 seasons with the Twins, Angels and Tigers. After two years for the Tigers, he went home to the Twins for a final season, and it was a good one. He hit 22 home runs and knocked in 81 runs, as the Twins nearly pulled out a miracle season.

Kansas City Royals v Minnesota Twins
Photo by Hannah Foslein/Getty Images
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Hunter was a five-time All-Star. He won nine consecutive Gold Glove Awards as a center fielder, and has also won two Silver Slugger Awards.

Hunter lives in the Dallas area with his wife Katrina, whom he met in High School. His boys Torii Jr, and Monshadrick are college athletes.

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