Hunter joins Angels camp, talks mentoring Trout in RF and ... managing?
Rhett Bollinger
@RhettBollingerTEMPE, Ariz. -- Torii Hunter is the latest former Angels star to announce his interest in becoming a Major League manager.
Three days after Albert Pujols said he¡¯d like to be a big league skipper, Hunter arrived at Angels camp as an instructor on Wednesday and said it¡¯s something he¡¯d like to pursue. He also said he¡¯s been talking constantly with superstar Mike Trout on his move to right field, as it¡¯s something Hunter also did late in his career after winning nine Gold Gloves in center field.
¡°I definitely would be interested in doing that,¡± Hunter said. ¡°I saw Albert Pujols is [managing] the Dominican [team] in 2026 [in the World Baseball Classic], and that's the start of something that you try to get that exercise to see if you really want to do it.
"I did the Futures Game in [2018] and man, it was like the best feeling in the world to do that. Pete Alonso, I had all these young guys that were there, and you see them in the big leagues now, you're like, ¡®Wow.¡¯ That was a great experience for me to coach that Futures Game and I think that kind of got the juices flowing.¡±
Hunter, 49, is a special assistant to general manager Perry Minasian, but he¡¯s also kept busy after retiring as a player after the 2015 season. He¡¯s a successful businessman who works in commercial real estate and runs several companies, including a skincare/haircut product company, coffee shops and a restaurant chain called Tender Smokehouse in Texas. So while Hunter would love to manage, he¡¯s also content with his current endeavors.
¡°If it's there, it's there,¡± Hunter said. ¡°Right now, I'm enjoying what I do now and that's building a brand, building teams right now. It's outside of baseball, but I really enjoy it, to be honest with you. I'm serious. But the game of baseball is something that I do. It's like riding a bike. You don't ride it for a while, you jump on and you still can ride that bike. I can't play anymore but I still love and enjoy the game.¡±
Angels manager Ron Washington said Hunter¡¯s leadership skills and affable personality make him a perfect candidate to lead a ballclub. He said it¡¯s not a fluke that Hunter has been so successful outside of baseball and he could apply those same skills to being a big league manager.
¡°He's a people's person, and that's the key right there,¡± Washington said. ¡°He has a wealth of knowledge about the game, and he's able to portray that knowledge and wisdom into people. He does it every time he comes here. He's got businesses that are striving, and it's the same. I'm very happy to have him here. I just wish we could have him here a lot more, but he has other things he's doing. But I think he¡¯d give those things up if he had an opportunity.¡±
One of Hunter¡¯s roles this spring will be helping Trout, who hit his second Spring Training homer Wednesday against the Dodgers, with his transition to playing right field. Hunter made the same move in 2011 to accommodate Peter Bourjos and remained in right as Trout began his ascendance at the position in ¡¯12. Hunter said he enjoyed mentoring Trout as a rookie and it¡¯s a relationship that has remained strong to this day.
¡°Man, we chat all the time, and Trout always asks questions,¡± Hunter said. ¡°He asked so many questions [as a youngster], and still, to this day, a guy who's a superstar Hall of Famer in the future and this guy still asks questions. That ought to let you know who he is.¡±
Hunter said he¡¯ll work with Trout on technique and advice for how to handle the positioning of the lights in right field at Angel Stadium. But he said he believes the move will be beneficial to Trout, 33, as he thinks the move helped lengthen his own career. Hunter played 19 seasons in the Majors with the Twins, Angels and Tigers and remained productive until retiring at age 40.
¡°It hurts for a minute, because it's your dream,¡± Hunter said. ¡°But at the same time, I knew where I was in my career. And when I got to right field, man, my body felt great, and my numbers were better average-wise, I stayed on the field, I played 37, 38, 39 even 40 playing in right field, and I was able to go out and put up some good numbers for an older guy. A wiser guy.¡±