Kent Hrbek - Definition

Kent Hrbek (born May 21, 1960 in Minneapolis, Minnesota) was a US-American baseball player. The left-hander batter played fourteen seasons for the Minnesota Twins at first base.

Hrbek had his Major League debut in 1982 and was immediately selected as an All-Star. After batting .301 with 23 homeruns and 92 RBIs, Hrbek finished second in the American League Rookie of the Year vote, behind Cal Ripken, Jr.

Some of his most memorable moments were during the 1987 season. He hit a career best 34 homeruns to help the Twins win the AL West. He was also instrumental in capturing the World Series Championship, as he hit a Grand Slam in game six.

In 1991 he again helped the Twins to win the World Series. This was especially memorable as the Twins finished the previous season in last place.

Frequently injured (though seldom seriously), Hrbek retired after the players strike in 1994. The following year his number was retired. Kent Hrbek was inducted into the Minnesota Sports Hall of Fame the following year. Despite operating in the same lineup as Kirby Puckett for all but two years of his career, and his long and close association with Puckett, Hrbek's numbers never approached those of the center fielder, and it is generally agreed that his career, while long and productive, was not Baseball Hall of Fame material.

Career statistics

Further readings

• Kent Hrbek by Deegan, Paul J.; Carpenter, Jerry; DiMeglio, Steve ISBN 0939179326

External link

• Kent Hrbek's Statistics at baseball-reference.com (http://www.baseball-reference.com/h/hrbekke01.shtml)