Is Torii Hunter Charged for the Playoffs?

Enjoy the last two months of Torii Hunter's tenure with the Angels. Will he make an encore in October?

As the Angels flounder on the edge of contending for a postseason spot, it might be good to look at his accomplishments in an Angels uniform. Over the past four and two-thirds seasons, Torii has produced and, with plenty of evidence that father time has been kind to him and will not be taking away his game in the forty or so games the Angels have left this season, one can expect him to be central to taking the team wherever it might be going.

Of players with over 2,500 Plate Appearances in an Angels uniform, Torii Hunter's adjusted OPS+ of 120 ranks eighth all-time in franchise history. His 17.0 WAR is thirteenth in franchise history, just ahead of Adam Kennedy and right behind Wally Joyner.

A comparison to another great Angels outfielder, Jim Edmonds, is in order. Torii is less than 150 PA behind the 2,951 PA of Edmonds in an Angels uniform. Edmonds accrued 19.1 WAR in his time here, in the prime of his career, from his rookie debut through the showboating highlight reel catches and power-laden season. Edmonds turned 29 during his last year as an Angel. Torii was 31 when his agent signed macho-combo five year contract for his client at Del Taco.

Torii ranks twelfth all time in franchise history with a .348 On-Base-Percentage (for players with more than 2,000 PA for the team). His .281 batting average is tenth for Angels with more than 2,500 PA. His .460 slugging is eighth by the same measure of Angels immortals and his OPS is seventh.

Of course in that time he has been a great clubhouse guy, a leader and a press liaison who was always ready with a great interview to take the pressure off of his struggling teammates. You cannot say that about Jimmy.

Does Torii have one last hot streak in him, batting between Mike Trout and Albert Pujols, charged for the playoffs? Let's hope so.