Torii Hunter didn’t play yesterday as the Twins ended their 2015 season at Target Field, losing 6-1 to the Royals. It might have been Hunter’s final game as a major leaguer because the 40-year-old was indefinite about his future when interviewed yesterday morning on WCCO Radio’s Sports Huddle.
Hunter will talk during the offseason with his family about his future and added if he had to decide now it’s probable he will retire. Hunter, who mentioned he doesn’t want to take anti-inflammatory substances, said his plans after baseball aren’t certain but he wants to remain part of the Twins organization.
Hunter played regular right field for the Twins and hit .240 with 22 home runs and 81 RBI (second best on the team). His clubhouse leadership for a team that ended four years of 90-plus loss seasons in 2015 is well documented. The Twins finished with an 83-79 record and chased a wild card spot almost to season’s end.
“I’d love to have Torii back,” Twins president Dave St. Peter told Sports Headliners today. “I’d love Torii to be in our clubhouse into perpetuity. He’s just a tremendous asset. He’s somebody that makes teams better. He’s a winner.”
Even if Hunter decides to retire, St. Peter wants to see more of the outfielder who came up through the organization and played part or all of 12 seasons in a Twins uniform. “Ultimately, I’d be hopeful, whether he’s playing or not, that long term he’s going to be part of our organization in some way because I think in his heart he’s a Twin,” St. Peter said.
St. Peter is under the impression Hunter won’t do anything regarding a decision for 2016 until November at the earliest. St. Peter expects clarity on the issue before year end.
Hunter reportedly was paid $10.5 million this season on a one-year deal. St. Peter doesn’t know if the Twins will offer the same compensation but doesn’t expect next year will be about money. It will be about how Hunter is physically, how he feels he can contribute to team success and what his role will be with the club.
With Hunter’s career success and charisma, his post-baseball options appear numerous. He could be in demand by both national and local media for broadcast work. Also, St. Peter sees Hunter as a “powerful” influence as a Twins minor league consultant working to develop players. He also said Hunter has expressed interest in learning about front office responsibilities as a club general manager or president.
In the coming weeks Hunter will have to weigh the pros and cons of continuing his career including the physical demands of a long season. “Torii is in remarkable shape,” St. Peter said. “He takes care of his body, but only he knows the toll of a baseball season and what it takes on him.”
Worth Noting
Twins rookie DH and third baseman Miguel Sano hit 18 home runs and drove in 52 runs in 275 at bats. In a full season he might have doubled all three of those numbers.
Sano and center fielder Byron Buxton gained major league experience this season. St. Peter said Sano is interested in playing winter baseball but it’s not decided whether he will. Buxton will not, focusing on gaining strength and training during the offseason. In 129 rookie at bats Buxton hit two home runs, with six RBI and a .206 batting average.
Twins second baseman Brian Dozier and third baseman Trevor Plouffe delivered career years at bat. Dozier hit a team-best 28 home runs and drove in 77 runs, while Plouffe hit 22 homers and led the club with 86 RBI.
Although Ervin Santana lost his last game of the season Friday night, next year he could be the staff ace the Twins have been in search of for a long time. Santana missed the first 80 games of the season because of a suspension by MLB but he finished 2015 impressively. The loss Friday night was his first since August 19. He pitched seven innings, giving up two runs on four hits. He finished the season with seven straight quality starts, going 5-1 with a 1.62 ERA in 50 innings, with 14 walks and 47 strikeouts.
Although it’s a minimal decrease, Twins home attendance declined for a sixth consecutive season. The club attracted 2,220,054 fans after drawing 2,250,606 last year.
Former Gopher and Twin Dave Winfield, whose big baseball career ended with the Indians 20 years ago, had his 64th birthday last Saturday.
Duluth Huskies pitcher Toby Anderson is one of nine Northwoods League players who won the Rawlings “Finest in the Field” Award for the 2015 season. Anderson, who will be a sophomore contending for a starting pitching role with the Gophers next season, had a 1.000 fielding percentage. That’s the same percentage he had last season with the Gophers.
Vikings head coach Mike Zimmer likes his team but isn’t ready to proclaim it a “good team” after four games and a 2-2 start including yesterday’s 23-20 loss to the 4-0 Broncos. He wants his players to execute better and focus on doing their assignments.
Asked about defensive lineman Linval Joseph at his news conference today, Zimmer praised him as “unselfish.” He said Joseph is interested in a team approach and doesn’t put himself first. Joseph, now in his second season with the Vikings, said he is more comfortable with the defensive system than last year.
The Broncos are one of the NFL’s best teams and Joseph was encouraged about the game. “I feel like yesterday showed us a lot about our team,” he said. “We’re going to fight to the end. We’re not going to give up.”
The Broncos led the Vikings 13-0 in the first half but by late in the game it was 20-20 before Denver made the winning field goal. The Vikings still had a chance before Broncos safety T.J. Ward caused quarterback Teddy Bridgewater to fumble under pressure. The Vikings allowed seven sacks and today Zimmer was asked about the pass protection of Adrian Peterson. Zimmer said his All-Pro running back is successful at pass protection and works at it.
The Vikings won’t practice after Wednesday and are off until next Monday because of their October 11 bye in the schedule. Defensive back Brock Vereen, the former Gophers safety added to the Vikings practice squad last week, said he will stay in town and work with coaches to learn the defense.
Eden Prairie High School football coach Mike Grant and his staff have led the Eagles to 37 straight wins. Senior linebacker Carter Coughlin said the coaches have taught the players about more than winning. “The coaches are all men of character, and they’re all men that all the players respect. They don’t encourage us to cheap shot ever, (or) do any of that other crap.”
The Amazing Hondo, the popular Minnesota-based magician, performed recently at a golf charity event in San Diego where he met one of his basketball heroes, Hall of Famer Bill Walton. “He is taller than tall,” Hondo said via e-mail. “When I brought up my favorite point guard, Steve Nash, his eyes lit up and he quipped, ‘Steve Nash—too small, too weak, too slow—defied all the naysayer odds. He was my favorite player to watch. He made everyone around him better—the mark of a true point guard.’ “
St. Paul resident and veteran official Kristine (Langley) Morrison, who has worked four NCAA Women’s Frozen Four tournaments, was part of the officiating crew for the Ferris State men’s intrasquad game last Saturday and the team’s exhibition game against the University of Lethbridge Sunday. That’s a first, involving a female on-ice official for a Division I men’s game.
“We are exploring new evaluation and development paths for our female officials,” said WCHA Men’s Commissioner Bill Robertson and Women’s Commissioner Aaron Kemp in a joint statement. “Kristine has consistently been rated among the top on-ice officials in the women’s league and is certainly deserving of this opportunity for continued professional growth.”
The October 5 issue of Sports Illustrated noted that the late Roy Griak didn’t see his namesake cross-country meet last month for the first time in 30 years. Griak, who died in July at age 91, won Big Ten track and cross-country championships as Gophers coach. The Roy Griak Invitational is one of the best-known cross-country events in the nation.
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