Detroit Tigers

Where have we seen this headline before? ASTROS TRADE YOUNG CENTERFIELDER, GET DEPENDABLE CATCHER. Think back to 1991 when Houston sent Kenny Lofton to the Indians and got Eddie Taubensee in a multiplayer deal. Lofton is now an All-Star. Taubensee is with the Reds. In December the Astros and the Tigers made a nine-player swap, the centerpiece of which was Houston's young centerfielder Brian Hunter. He went to Detroit for dependable catcher Brad Ausmus. Fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice....

While the 26-year-old Hunter is not in Lofton's class yet, he was the potential gem in the deal that also sent shortstop Orlando Miller, pitchers Doug Brocail and Todd Jones and future considerations to Detroit for Ausmus and pitchers Jose Lima, C.J. Nitkowski, Trever Miller and Daryle Ward. In fact, the trade appeared to be so lopsided that when it was announced, the joke around Houston was that Astros president Tal Smith had given Hunter to his son, Randy, the Tigers' general manager, as a Christmas present.

Following a breakout 1995 season in which he hit .302 and stole 24 bases in 78 games, Hunter wound up on the trading block after struggling in '96. He did swipe 35 bases, but his average dropped to .276 and he struck out 92 times while drawing only 17 walks. Hunter's .297 on-base percentage was among the lowest in the National League, a troubling statistic for a leadoff batter. As a result Hunter was dropped in the Astros' batting order and occasionally was even benched. He didn't help his cause by committing 12 errors, tying for the league lead among outfielders. And because of his seemingly indifferent play he incurred the wrath of Houston manager Terry Collins, with whom Hunter didn't get along. "It got to the point with the Astros where I felt I was no longer wanted, that I couldn't do anything right," Hunter says. "I'm happy to have a fresh start."

In Detroit, Hunter will get a chance to mature and rebuild his game along with most of the rest of the Tigers, whose record last year (53-109) was the worst in baseball. He expects to be penciled into the leadoff spot every day, and Detroit believes he will become a more disciplined hitter as he gains experience. After all, he has only 871 major league at bats. "We feel that with Brian's talent and speed, he is just scratching the surface of what he can accomplish," Randy Smith says. "There's no reason to think that Brian can't hit .280-plus and steal 50 bases a season. Nobody's asking him to be Kenny Lofton."

Hunter and Lofton sometimes played together in the instructional leagues when they were moving up through the Astros' farm system, and Hunter is quick to point out that Houston fans didn't lament the loss of Lofton until after he proved himself in Cleveland. Now it's Hunter's turn to do likewise in Detroit. "Someday down the road I want the Astros to regret having traded me just as they did with Kenny," Hunter says. "I want Houston fans to say they hope their team never makes another deal like the Brian Hunter deal."

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