Career summed in one word: "Ouch"….or some used “scrappy”…..anything for the team guy….proficient at being plunked…..In 1971 a sensation, an incredible number HBP (50)....this was significantly larger than his peers at the time and anyone else in the modern ball era…..in statistical regards a historical season….not an anomaly, three years prior and three years after led the NL in being the hit batsman giving him seven consecutive years….6th on all time list with 243….developed in the Milwaukee Braves system….1963 was plucked by the fledgling NY Mets in a cash deal….was able to bypass AAA ball for a starting position in the Met infield….established himself as a solid hitter and a ray of light in the woeful sophmore squad….was #2 in ROY, following year an All Star terminating with .303 BA….made All star team 1966 to offset an injury ridden 1965…..nevertheless traded to LA Dodgers and the flipped a year later up the coast to the Giants for a 3 year residency…..started his HBP legacy along with consistent offensive figures….traded to Expos for minor league journeyman Dave McDonald….a steal….held second base until 1974….moved to 3rd base for his last year of playing ball….his four years in Montreal yielded with a .277 BA…..put on waiver late in the year….picked up by the Cardinals to top off the season and his baseball career….As a Red Bird had 4 hits in 28 plate appearances….plus was hit by two pitches…..Motto was “Some people give their bodies to science; I give mine to baseball.
There'a no skill in getting hit by a pitch.
ReplyDeleteAnd he did this before all the body armor that is so prevalent in the MLB today. That's impressive.
ReplyDeleteOne thing I did not mention (and I thought I did) was that Hunt was #4 in NL on base pct in 1971. He is behind Mays, Aaron and Torre. It beats out Stargell (who had a career year), Allen, Brock, and Williams His HBP numbers, while not sexy allows this an ordinary player to be in good company.
ReplyDeleteI think at a certain point the HBP became the primary selling point for the third year Expos franchise. Funny pronouncement of John Boccabella will only get you so far. Each of 1969 expansion teams had to grow out of the novelty factor to some highlight even though the product was struggling. Padres had excellent pitching staff. Still to this day the best team ERA (more impressive it was 100 loss team), Milwaukee touted bullpen specialist Ken Saunders, and the Royals impressed by finishing second in AL West using shrew trades that would build their club for the rest of the decade.
Hunt's season reminded me of Rickey Henderson setting the stolen base record in 1982. It became a quest, the focus of a very mediocre squad.
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