The Los Angeles Angels are getting a happy ending with one of their former All-Stars.
The Angels announced Saturday that they are reuniting with retired ex-outfielder Torii Hunter. The 48-year-old Hunter will be returning to the Angels as a special assistant to general manager Perry Minasian, the team said in a release. He becomes the fourth former MLBer to have that role for the Angels (along with Kurt Suzuki, Eddie Guardado, and Chris Carpenter).
Torii Hunter joins the @Angels as Special Assistant to the General Manager. #RepTheHalo pic.twitter.com/uK8WyqpF3m
— AngelsWin.com (@AngelsWin) April 6, 2024
Hunter played in Major League Baseball from 1997-2015 and was a five-time All-Star, nine-time Gold Glover, and two-time Silver Slugger winner. He was on the Angels from 2008-12 and was the lone position player to represent the team when they last hosted the MLB All-Star Game in 2010.
While also a Hall of Famer for the Minnesota Twins, Hunter was a beloved Angel and even interviewed for their recent managerial vacancy (a position that ultimately went to Ron Washington instead). There was some drama in recent months though as he was expected to become the first-base coach of the Angels instead. Hunter went on to say publicly however that he would not accept that job.
Exclusive: Torii Hunter (@toriihunter48) interviewed for the manager job with the @Angels but will NOT accept the 1B Coach job.
▶️ https://t.co/zDLYPvmPWi pic.twitter.com/GER8ngjW3Y
— Foul Territory (@FoulTerritoryTV) November 9, 2023
In the end though, all is now well between the Angels and Hunter. The team is off to a 5-3 start to the new season and should be able to utilize Hunter’s expertise in the front office.
