Torii Hunter gets to stay on the Hall of Fame ballot a little longer

Torii Hunter got 9.5 percent of the vote from the Baseball Writers Association of America in his first time through the Hall of Fame process, meaning he gets to stay on the ballot for at least one more year.

Hunter received 38 of 401 votes from the BBWAA (9.5 percent), surpassing the five percent required to remain on the ballot.

Nobody was elected by the BBWAA this year, with Curt Schilling coming the closest at 71.1 percent, falling 16 votes short of the 75 percent required for induction to Cooperstown.

Hunter might not make the Hall of Fame, but we’ll at least have another year to appreciate what was an excellent career.

Hunter hit .277/.331/.461, a 110 OPS+, with 353 home runs and 498 doubles for the Twins, Angels, and Tigers. He won nine Gold Gloves in center field, seventh-most among outfielders, and was a five-time All-Star.

Hunter played for the Angels from 2008-12, which was arguably the best five-year stretch of his career. He hit .286/.352/.462, a 122 OPS+ in Anaheim, averaging 21 home runs and 29 doubles in his five years with the Angels.

By bWAR, his two best seasons came with the Angels, with 5.4 WAR in 2012 and 5.3 in 2009. Hunter’s 20.7 bWAR is the sixth-most by an Angels outfielder.

Among other former Angels on the Hall of Fame ballot, Bobby Abreu got 8.7 percent in his second year on the ballot, which means he gets to return for another year. LaTroy Hawkins, who pitched for the Angels in 2012, received two votes, including one from Bob Nightengale of USA Today.

Neither Dan Haren nor Shane Victorino received votes in their first year on the ballot. Hawkins, Haren, and Victorino will no longer be on the Hall of Fame ballot going forward.