Raymond Thomas Hunter (born July 3, 1986) is an American

professional baseball Professional baseball is organized baseball in which players are selected for their talents and are paid to play for a specific team or club system. It is played in leagues and associated farm teams throughout the world. Modern professiona ...

pitcher In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("pitches") the baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or dr ...

in the

New York Mets The New York Mets are an American professional baseball team based in the New York City borough of Queens. The Mets compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) East division. They are one of two major lea ...

organization. He has played in

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (A ...

(MLB) for the Mets, Texas Rangers,

Baltimore Orioles The Baltimore Orioles are an American professional baseball team based in Baltimore. The Orioles compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. As one of the American League's eight charter ...

Chicago Cubs The Chicago Cubs are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The Cubs compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as part of the National League (NL) Central division. The club plays its home games at Wrigley Field, which is locate ...

Cleveland Indians The Cleveland Guardians are an American professional baseball team based in Cleveland. The Guardians compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central division. Since , they have ...

Tampa Bay Rays The Tampa Bay Rays are an American professional baseball team based in St. Petersburg, Florida. The Rays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Since its inception, the team's home v ...

, and

Philadelphia Phillies The Philadelphia Phillies are an American professional baseball team based in Philadelphia. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) National League East, East division. Since 2004, the team's home sta ...

. Hunter was drafted by the Rangers in the supplemental first round of the

2007 Major League Baseball draft The 2007 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft was Major League Baseball's annual amateur draft of high school and college baseball players and was held on June 7, 2007 and June 8, 2007. The first day session of the draft included the fir ...

out of the

University of Alabama The University of Alabama (informally known as Alabama, UA, or Bama) is a public research university in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. Established in 1820 and opened to students in 1831, the University of Alabama is the oldest and largest of the publ ...

. He made his major league debut in 2008. In 2010 he led the

American League The American League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the American League (AL), is one of two leagues that make up Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada. It developed from the Western League, a minor league b ...

with a .765

winning percentage In sports, a winning percentage is the fraction of games or matches a team or individual has won. The statistic is commonly used in standings or rankings to compare teams or individuals. It is defined as wins divided by the total number of match ...

, as he had a 13–4

win–loss record In sports, a winning percentage is the fraction of games or matches a team or individual has won. The statistic is commonly used in standings or rankings to compare teams or individuals. It is defined as wins divided by the total number of match ...

Early and personal life

Hunter was born to Ray and Pam Hunter in

Indianapolis Indianapolis (), colloquially known as Indy, is the state capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Indiana and the seat of Marion County. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the consolidated population of Indianapolis and Marion ...

Indiana Indiana () is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States. It is the 38th-largest by area and the 17th-most populous of the 50 States. Its capital and largest city is Indianapolis. Indiana was admitted to the United States as the 19th ...

, and raised there with his older sister Megan. Hunter attended Cathedral High School, where he was a two-time All-City Player of the Year (2004 and 2005) . He played both baseball and football for the school. He was also a two-time Junior Olympic

judo is an unarmed modern Japanese martial art, Olympic sport (since 1964), and the most prominent form of jacket wrestling competed internationally.『日本大百科全書』電子版【柔道】(CD-ROM version of Encyclopedia Nipponica, "Judo") ...

champion. Hunter married girlfriend Ellen Cohara on January 4, 2014. They have two sons, Henry and Oliver.

College

Hunter attended the

for two years. At Alabama, Hunter played for the

Alabama Crimson Tide The Alabama Crimson Tide refers to the intercollegiate athletic varsity teams that represent the University of Alabama, located in Tuscaloosa. The Crimson Tide teams compete in the National Collegiate Athletic Association's Division I as a me ...

and was a Second-Team All-American in his freshman season, during which the team won the 2006

Southeastern Conference The Southeastern Conference (SEC) is an American college athletic conference whose member institutions are located primarily in the South Central and Southeastern United States. Its fourteen members include the flagship public universities o ...

Championship, and a pre-season All-American entering his sophomore season. He also earned a gold medal at the

World University Baseball Championship The World University Baseball Championship is an under-23 international college baseball competition sponsored by the International University Sports Federation (FISU) and was first held in 2002 in Italy. Until 2013, it was sanctioned by the then- ...

with the USA National Baseball Team in 2006.

Major league career

Texas Rangers

Hunter was drafted by the Texas Rangers in the supplemental first round of the

out of the University of Alabama, and signed for a $585,000

signing bonus A signing bonus or sign-on bonus is a sum of money paid to a new employee (including a professional sports person) by a company as an incentive to join that company. They are often given as a way of making a compensation package more attractive ...

. The Rangers were awarded a compensatory pick when

Mark DeRosa Mark Thomas DeRosa (born February 26, 1975) is an American former professional baseball player who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1998 to 2013. He played for the Atlanta Braves (1998–2004), Texas Rangers (2005–2006), Chicago Cu ...

left to go to the

free agency In professional sports, a free agent is a player who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under contract at present but who is ...

. Hunter made his major league debut on August 1, 2008, taking on the

Toronto Blue Jays The Toronto Blue Jays are a Canadian professional baseball team based in Toronto. The Blue Jays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Since 1989, the team has played its home games ...

as the fourth-youngest player in the American League shortly after turning 22 years of age. He pitched 11 innings for the Rangers in 2008. He recorded his first MLB win on July 3, 2009, against the

. Hunter recorded his first Major League complete game on September 13 against the

Seattle Mariners The Seattle Mariners are an American professional baseball team based in Seattle. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division. The team joined the American League as an expansion ...

. On October 3 Hunter gave up

Ken Griffey Jr. George Kenneth Griffey Jr. (born November 21, 1969), nicknamed "Junior" and "the Kid", is an American former professional baseball outfielder who played 22 years in Major League Baseball (MLB). He spent most of his career with the Seattle M ...

's 630th career

home run In baseball, a home run (abbreviated HR) is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to circle the bases and reach home plate safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team. A home run i ...

. In 2009, Hunter was 9–6 with a 4.10 ERA, with 64 strikeouts in 112 innings. He held right-handed hitters to a .228 batting average (seventh-lowest in the AL), and opponents at home to a .226 average (the lowest single-season figure ever by a pitcher with at least 10 starts at Rangers Ballpark). Hunter made his 2010 season debut on June 5, pitching a complete game win against the

. He went 13–4 for the season (an American League-leading .765 win–loss percentage), with a 3.73 ERA as he struck out 68 batters in 128 innings. His 13 wins tied

Derek Holland Derek Lane Holland (born October 9, 1986) nicknamed "Dutch Oven", is an American professional baseball pitcher who is currently a free agent. He has played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Texas Rangers, Chicago White Sox, San Franci ...

for the most wins by any pitcher in the Rangers organization in 2010, in either the major or minor leagues. Hunter started Game 4 of the ALCS vs the

Yankees The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. They are one ...

. In 2011 with the Rangers, Hunter was 1–1 with a 2.93 ERA, and struck out 10 batters in 15.1 innings.

Baltimore Orioles

On July 30, 2011, the Rangers traded Hunter and

first baseman A first baseman, abbreviated 1B, is the player on a baseball or softball team who fields the area nearest first base, the first of four bases a baserunner must touch in succession to score a run. The first baseman is responsible for the majori ...

Chris Davis to the

for reliever

Koji Uehara is a Japanese former professional baseball pitcher. He previously played for the Yomiuri Giants of Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB), as well as the Baltimore Orioles, Texas Rangers, Boston Red Sox, and Chicago Cubs of Major League Baseball (M ...

. In 2011 with Baltimore, he was 3–3 with a 5.06 ERA, with 35 strikeouts in 69.1 innings. In the 2012 season, Hunter posted a 7–8 record with a 5.45 ERA, with 77 strikeouts in 133.2 innings. He was a starter for a while, but was optioned to Triple A Norfolk. He was placed in the

bullpen In baseball, the bullpen (or simply the pen) is the area where relief pitchers warm up before entering a game. A team's roster of relief pitchers is also metonymically referred to as "the bullpen". These pitchers usually wait in the bullpen if t ...

as a reliever. As a reliever, Hunter's fastball averaged 96 MPH over the month of September, and topped out at 100 MPH, after averaging 91-92 MPH for his career. In 2013, he was 6–5 with four saves and a 2.81 ERA and 68 strikeouts in 68.1 innings in 68 games, and held right-handed batters to a batting line of .141/.190/.154 in 159 plate appearances. After former closer Jim Johnson was traded to the

Oakland Athletics The Oakland Athletics (often referred to as the A's) are an American professional baseball team based in Oakland, California. The Athletics compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division. The t ...

, Hunter was named the Orioles' new closer for the 2014 season. Hunter started the 2014 season as the Orioles' closer and was successful in 11 of his 12 save opportunities, but he blew two consecutive saves on May 10 and 13 and then was placed on the 15-day

disabled list In Major League Baseball (MLB), the injured list (IL) is a method for teams to remove their injured players from the roster in order to summon healthy players. Before the 2019 season, it was known as the disabled list (DL). General guidelines ...

. When he returned, he continued to work out of the bullpen, but not as the closer. For the 2014 season, Hunter finished 3–2 with 11 saves and a 2.97 ERA and 45 strikeouts in 60.2 innings in 60 games. He agreed to a one-year deal worth $4.65 million in January 2015, avoiding arbitration. Hunter was 2–2 with Baltimore in 2015 with a 3.63 ERA with 32 strikeouts in 44.2 innings.

Chicago Cubs

On July 31, 2015, Hunter was traded to the

for outfielder

Junior Lake Junior Osvaldo Lake (born March 27, 1990) is a Dominican professional baseball outfielder for the Toros de Tijuana of the Mexican League. He signed as an international free agent with the Chicago Cubs in 2007 and made his Major League Baseball (M ...

. He was 2–0 with one save with the Cubs with a 5.74 ERA with 15 strikeouts in 15.2 innings. After the season, he had two surgeries to repair a core muscle injury.

Cleveland Indians

Hunter signed a one-year contract worth $2 million with the

on February 12, 2016. He was placed on the injured list on July 17 after suffering a non-displaced fracture in his back following a fall at his home. On August 25, Hunter was released. He was 2–2 with the Indians with a 3.74 ERA with 17 strikeouts in 21.2 innings.

Baltimore Orioles (second stint)

The

signed Hunter on August 28, 2016. He was 0–0 with the Orioles with a 2.19 ERA in 12 games.

Tampa Bay Rays

On February 22, 2017, Hunter signed a minor league deal with the

. Hunter impressed in

spring training Spring training is the preseason in Major League Baseball (MLB), a series of practices and exhibition games preceding the start of the regular season. Spring training allows new players to try out for roster and position spots, and gives estab ...

and received a spot in the bullpen. He had an ERA of 1.08 in 10 appearances before suffering a calf injury after running to first base on a ball in play. On April 23, Hunter was placed on the 10-Day DL. He was activated off the DL on May 25. Hunter finished the season with a 3–5 record with one save and 25

hold Hold may refer to: Physical spaces * Hold (ship), interior cargo space * Baggage hold, cargo space on an airplane * Stronghold, a castle or other fortified place Arts, entertainment, and media * Hold (musical term), a pause, also called a Ferma ...

s (fifth in the AL) in 61 appearances with a 2.61 ERA (a career low), pitching predominantly in the eighth inning before closer Alex Colomé. He held all hitters to a .202/.254/.333 batting line as he struck out 64 batters in 58.2 innings.

Philadelphia Phillies

On December 15, 2017, Hunter signed a two-year contract with the

. He changed his number from 40 to 96 after

Wilson Ramos Wilson Abraham Ramos Campos (born August 10, 1987), nicknamed "The Buffalo", is a Venezuelan professional baseball catcher who is currently a free agent. He has played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Minnesota Twins, Washington Nationals ...

was acquired from the

Rays Ray may refer to: Fish * Ray (fish), any cartilaginous fish of the superorder Batoidea * Ray (fish fin anatomy), a bony or horny spine on a fin Science and mathematics * Ray (geometry), half of a line proceeding from an initial point * Ray (gra ...

. In 2018 with the Phillies, he was 5–4 with four saves, 25 holds (tied for fifth in the NL), and a 3.80 ERA, as he struck out 51 batters in 64 innings over 65 games. Hunter began the 2019 season on the disabled list with a right forearm injury. He was placed on the disabled list on July 14 with a right forearm injury that cost him the first three months of the season. On July 23, Hunter underwent season-ending surgery to repair the flexor tendon in his right arm. In 2019, he was 0–0 with a 0.00 ERA in 5.1 innings over five games. On February 12, 2020, Hunter re-signed with the Phillies on a one year deal.

New York Mets

On February 14, 2021, Hunter signed a minor league contract with the

with an invitation to spring training. On March 25, Hunter exercised the opt-out clause in his contract and was released by the Mets. On March 30, Hunter re-signed with the Mets on a new minor league contract. On May 6, Hunter was selected to the active roster. On May 18, 2021, Hunter recorded his first Major League hit, a single off of

Tucker Davidson Joseph Tucker Davidson (born March 25, 1996) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Kansas City Royals of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the Atlanta Braves and Los Angeles Angels. Davidson play ...

of the

Atlanta Braves The Atlanta Braves are an American professional baseball team based in the Atlanta metropolitan area. The Braves compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) East division. The Braves were founded in ...

Truist Park Truist Park (originally SunTrust Park) is a baseball stadium in the Atlanta metropolitan area, approximately 10 miles (16 km) northwest of downtown Atlanta in the unincorporated community of Cumberland, in Cobb County, Georgia. Opened in 2 ...

. After the game he described it as fulfilling and said it made him feel like "a real baseball player." On June 10, Hunter was placed on the 60-day injured list with lower back pain. In 4 games with the Mets, Hunter pitched eight scoreless innings with six strikeouts.

Tampa Bay Rays (second stint)

On July 23, 2021, Hunter was traded to the

alongside minor league catcher Matthew Dyer in exchange for Rich Hill.

New York Mets (second stint)

On May 2, 2022, Hunter signed a minor league deal with the

. He resigned on a minor league deal on December 6, 2022.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Hunter, Tommy 1986 births Living people Baseball players from Indianapolis Major League Baseball pitchers Texas Rangers players Baltimore Orioles players Chicago Cubs players Cleveland Indians players Tampa Bay Rays players Philadelphia Phillies players New York Mets players Alabama Crimson Tide baseball players Spokane Indians players Bakersfield Blaze players Frisco RoughRiders players Oklahoma RedHawks players Oklahoma City RedHawks players Round Rock Express players Bowie Baysox players Norfolk Tides players Delmarva Shorebirds players Columbus Clippers players