Torii Hunter’s 3-Homer Day Part of Bigger Trend
Submitted by Imaginary Diamond Blog
Los Angeles Angels outfielder Torii Hunter may have finally gotten on the national map with Saturday’s three-home run outburst, but he’s been doing that kind of work all season.
Three homers in a game made for good SportsCenter highlights, but they were just part of a much bigger picture. Most fantasy owners could have already told you that Hunter was in the midst of a career year.
Following a disappointing debut in L.A. last season, Hunter is on a tear to start 2009, hitting .319 with 16 homers, 51 RBIs and 11 stolen bases. The 33-year-old ranks second in the American League in slugging (.620) and third in OPS (1.017), and he is one of just one of five players in all of baseball with double-digit homers and steals.
At this rate, Hunter could very well surpass his 2008 home run total (21) before the All-Star break. And, he should storm past his previous career-highs in homers (31), RBIs (107) and stolen bases (23). For good measure, Hunter has also added a career-best stolen base percentage (11-for-14, .786).
We talked in the early part of last season about how little respect Hunter got in fantasy circles. Turns out, we were a year premature as Hunter, at by his standards, fell flat in ‘08.
When he’s on his game, Hunter has the potential to hit 30 homers, steal 20 bases and drive in 100 runs. Those numbers, barring an extensive cold streak, look well within his reach this season. It just took Saturday’s huge performance to make casual fans take notice.
