Why did Brian L Hunter Retire from baseball so young?
I think he his 36-37 today and last played 5 years ago. What happened?
Public Comments
- I haven't really found a "source for info" on this matter. But according to Wikipedia, I would venture to guess that he got tired of being shipped around. While he led the AL in 97 and 99 in SB, he started getting traded and offered free agency very often near the end of his career. About 5 or 6 different teams in a 4 year period. So his moral was probably shot after being dealt for crappy players, and having to relocate all the time. He just probably lost touch with the game. Wikipedia did state that his son Lucas is a highly recruited 8th grader in the state of Oregon. RR
- Who?
- That's pretty much the standard life cycle for your average player. Have a couple year run, your game drops off a bit- no longer worthy of being a starter but can stay a role player a few years. Few really play as long as they would like. Player's of Hunter's type ('speed first' type guys - which excludes those special players like Rickey, Lofton, Raines etc who have the entire baseball skill set; they are known for their speed, but they 'had game' and would have made it had they been of average speed) in particular fade out quickly. After a decent couple year run they are capable of stealing a few bases and play a little defense sure, but once they've lost a step and are hitting at or below average (usually their on base percentage is nothing spectacular at their peak), a team's going to go with a kid that will be able to produce similarly but has a possible upside. Otis Nixon is one of the few of the 'speed first' guys that managed to actually develop a game and hang around for a 'full career.' For the record, Hunter last played ball in '04 (when he was 33) and barely hit .200 in the minors, so his retirement may well have been forced.
