Todd Hundley
From Sports Library
| Todd Hundley | ||
|---|---|---|
| Catcher | ||
| Born: May 27 1969 (age 39) | ||
| Batted: Switch | Threw: Right | |
| MLB debut | ||
| May 18, 1990 for the New York Mets | ||
| Final game | ||
| , 2003 for the Los Angeles Dodgers | ||
| Career statistics | ||
| Batting average | .234 | |
| Hits | 883 | |
| HR | 202 | |
| Teams | ||
| Career highlights and awards | ||
Todd Randolph Hundley (born May 27, 1969 in Martinsville, Virginia) is a former Major League Baseball catcher.
Todd made his major league debut with the New York Mets on May 18, 1990 when he was only 20 years old. He came up with great fanfare but didn't hit very well his first few years in the major leagues. After a few years and a few injuries, his hitting increasingly improved to match his defense. By 1996, Hundley broke the single-season home run record for catchers (then held by Johnny Bench and Roy Campanella) with a career and Mets high of 41. The record for catchers has since been broken by Javy Lopez in 2003 and Carlos Beltrán tied the Mets' single season record in 2006. He was an all-star in 1996 and 1997 while playing for the New York Mets.
Hundley was publicly criticized in 1997 by Mets manager Bobby Valentine for his propensity for long nights out on the town that reportedly included beer drinking and cigarette smoking.
The Mets acquisition of Mike Piazza in May of 1998 combined with a career-threatening elbow injury brought his tenure with the Mets to a close. With Piazza on the roster, Hundley attempted to make a comeback as a left fielder, but was unsuccessful and was later traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers at the end of the season on December 1, 1998 in a three-team trade that brought Armando Benitez and Roger Cedeno to the Mets while also sending fellow catcher Charles Johnson to the Orioles. In addition to the Dodgers, Hundley has also played for the Chicago Cubs (2001-2002), and then returned to the Dodgers for the 2003-2004 seasons.
Hundley's tenure with the Cubs made many fans rejoice at Paul Bako's signing the year after Hundley's ticket was punched out of town. Hundley hit below .200, was on and off the disabled list, was a disaster behind the plate, feuded with the fans, and did little to quiet suspicions that Valentine's complaints about him in 1997 were only the tip of the iceberg.
So unpleasant was the Hundley era in Chicago that the blog Hire Jim Essian named him the worst Cub of the past 30 years.
Hundley's tenure with the Cubs was mercifully ended when general manager Jim Hendry dealt him to Los Angeles for Mark Grudzielanek and Eric Karros.
Throughout his career in baseball, Hundley has earned over 47-million dollars, according to the Society for American Baseball Research (as of 2004). After Hundley's career was over, he was pulled over for driving under the influence of alcohol and Vicodin in Glenview, Illinois
He is the son of former Chicago Cubs catcher Randy Hundley.
Hundley is a notable graduate of William Fremd High School.
Other information
- Hit a home run on opening day four seasons in a row-between 1994 and 1997, other player to do this is Kaz Matsui.
References
- Todd Hundley profile provided by baseball-reference.com
- Todd Hundley profile provided by ESPN
- Hundley on Wikipedia
- Article on Hire Jim Essian! naming Hundley the worst Cub in recent memory
