Brian Lee Hunter (born March 25, 1971) is a former

center fielder A center fielder, abbreviated CF, is the outfielder in baseball who plays defense in center field – the baseball and softball fielding position between left field and right field. In the numbering system used to record defensive plays, the ...

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball league composed of 30 teams, divided equally between the National League (baseball), National League (NL) and the American League (AL), with 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada. MLB i ...

. At 6'4" and around 180 lbs, he was known for stealing over 70 bases in 1997.

Minor league career

Hunter was born on March 25, 1971, in

Portland, Oregon Portland ( ) is the List of cities in Oregon, most populous city in the U.S. state of Oregon, located in the Pacific Northwest region. Situated close to northwest Oregon at the confluence of the Willamette River, Willamette and Columbia River, ...

. He graduated from Fort Vancouver High School in

Vancouver, Washington Vancouver ( ) is a city on the north bank of the Columbia River in the U.S. state of Washington (state), Washington, located in Clark County, Washington, Clark County. Founded in 1825 and incorporated in 1857, Vancouver had a population of 190, ...

. Hunter, who threw and batted right-handed, was drafted by the

Houston Astros The Houston Astros are an American professional baseball team based in Houston. The Astros compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League West, West Division. They are one of two major leag ...

in the 2nd round (35th overall) of the 1989 amateur

draft Draft, the draft, or draught may refer to: Watercraft dimensions * Draft (hull), the distance from waterline to keel of a vessel * Draft (sail), degree of curvature in a sail * Air draft, distance from waterline to the highest point on a v ...

. Hunter spent a little over five and a half seasons in the minor leagues. He began his pro career with the

Gulf Coast League The Florida Complex League (FCL) is a rookie-level Minor League Baseball league that operates in Florida, United States. Before 2021, it was known as the Gulf Coast League (GCL). Together with the Arizona Complex League (ACL), it forms the low ...

Astros in 1989. Hunter then went on to spend the next three seasons in class A playing for the Asheville Tourists of the

South Atlantic League The South Atlantic League, often informally called the Sally League, is a Minor League Baseball league with teams predominantly in states along the Atlantic coast of the United States from New York to Georgia. A Class A league for most of its h ...

in 1990 and then the Osceola Astros of the

Florida State League The Florida State League (FSL) is a Minor League Baseball league based in the state of Florida. Having been classified at various levels throughout its existence, it operated at Class A-Advanced from 1990 until its demotion to Single-A following ...

for two seasons 1991–1992. After a season in Class AA with the Jackson Generals of the

Texas League The Texas League is a Minor League Baseball league which has operated in the South Central United States since 1902. It is classified as a Double-A league. Despite the league's name, only its five South Division teams are actually based in the ...

, Hunter moved up to Class AAA and played part of the season with the

Pacific Coast League The Pacific Coast League (PCL) is a Minor League Baseball league that operates in the Western United States. Along with the International League, it is one of two leagues playing at the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A level, which is one grade bel ...

Tucson Toros The Tucson Toros were a professional baseball team based in Tucson, Arizona, in the United States. The original Toros were a Triple-A minor league baseball team in the Pacific Coast League from 1969 to 1997, where they won the PCL Championship in ...

in 1994.

Major league career

Hunter made his major league debut for the Astros on June 27, 1994, against the

Cincinnati Reds The Cincinnati Reds are an American professional baseball team based in Cincinnati. The Reds compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Central Divisi ...

. In five

at bat In baseball, an at bat (AB) or time at bat is a batter's turn batting against a pitcher. An at bat is different from a plate appearance. A batter is credited with a plate appearance regardless of what happens upon completion of his turn at bat, ...

s he contributed with one hit, and stole his first base in this game. He played with Houston through the 1996 season. On December 10 of that year he was traded along with Orlando Miller,

Todd Jones Todd Barton Jones (born April 24, 1968) is an American former professional baseball relief pitcher. He batted left-handed and threw right-handed. He was an effective middle reliever for several teams and also filled the role of closer, most no ...

and Doug Brocail, as well as cash, to the

Detroit Tigers The Detroit Tigers are an American professional baseball team based in Detroit. The Tigers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. One of the AL's eight chart ...

for

Daryle Ward Daryle Lamar Ward (born June 27, 1975) is an American former professional baseball first baseman and left fielder. He played 11 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1998 to 2008 for the Houston Astros, Los Angeles Dodgers, Pittsburgh Pira ...

C. J. Nitkowski Christopher John "C. J." Nitkowski (born March 9, 1973) is an American left-handed former professional baseball pitcher and current baseball broadcaster. A first-round draft choice of the Cincinnati Reds in 1994, he played in the major leagues f ...

, Trever Miller,

José Lima José Desiderio Rodriguez Lima (September 30, 1972 – May 23, 2010) was a Dominican right-handed pitcher who spent 13 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) with the Detroit Tigers (1994–1996, 2001–2002), Houston Astros (1997–2001), K ...

and

Brad Ausmus Bradley David Ausmus (; born April 14, 1969) is an American former professional baseball player, manager and current coach. He is the bench coach for the New York Yankees of Major League Baseball (MLB). In his 18-year MLB playing career, Ausmus ...

. He played for Detroit from 1997 to 1999. In 1997 he led the Major Leagues with 74 stolen bases, and was caught stealing 18 times; his stolen bases that year for the Tigers have not been surpassed by an American League player since. He played in all 162 games that year; he also led the league in putouts, and committed only four errors. As a batter, Hunter set the Tigers all-time record for outs with 525, which still stands today. On April 28, during the 1999 season, he was traded to the

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

for Andy Van Hekken and minor league outfielder Jerry Amador. He again led the AL in stolen bases, this time with 44, in 1999, although his .232 batting average was the worst among qualified batters. On March 27, 2000, he was released by the Mariners, and four days later he signed with the

Colorado Rockies The Colorado Rockies are an American professional baseball team based in Denver. The Rockies compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League West, West Division. Th ...

, who traded him to the Reds on August 6. On November 27 he was released by the Reds, and on January 10, 2001, Hunter signed with the

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

who in turn granted him free agency on November 5, which allowed him to play 2002-2003 and finish his career where it began, with the Astros, where he retired. Because of his ability to steal bases, ESPN's Chris Berman nicknamed the outfielder, "Deer" Hunter.

Coaching career

Hunter was hired as hitting coach for the

Everett AquaSox The Everett AquaSox are a Minor League Baseball team in Everett, Washington. The team is a member of the Northwest League and is the High-A affiliate of the Seattle Mariners. The AquaSox play their home games at Funko Field, which has a seatin ...

for the 2015 season. After two years in that role, he was hired as a coach for the

Tacoma Rainiers The Tacoma Rainiers are a Minor League Baseball team of the Pacific Coast League (PCL) and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Seattle Mariners. They are located in Tacoma, Washington, and play their home games at Cheney Stadium, ...

References

External links

, o
Retrosheet
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hunter, Brian 1971 births Living people African-American baseball players American League stolen base champions Asheville Tourists players Baseball players from Portland, Oregon Camden Riversharks players Cincinnati Reds players Colorado Rockies players Detroit Tigers players Gulf Coast Astros players Houston Astros players Jackson Generals (Texas League) players Major League Baseball center fielders Memphis Redbirds players Navegantes del Magallanes players American expatriate baseball players in Venezuela New Orleans Zephyrs players Osceola Astros players Palm Beach Cardinals players Baseball players from Seattle Philadelphia Phillies players Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Red Barons players Seattle Mariners players Baseball players from Vancouver, Washington Tucson Toros players 21st-century American sportsmen 21st-century African-American sportsmen 20th-century American sportsmen 20th-century African-American sportsmen

Minor league career

Major league career

Coaching career

See also

References

External links