Nick Hundley
| Nick Hundley | |
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| San Diego Padres – No. 4 | |
| Catcher | |
| Born: September 8, 1983 Corvallis, Oregon |
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| Bats: Right | Throws: Right |
| MLB debut | |
| July 4, 2008 for the San Diego Padres | |
| Career statistics (through June 19, 2013) |
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| Batting average | .238 |
| Home runs | 38 |
| Runs batted in | 165 |
| Teams | |
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Nicholas John "Nick" Hundley (born September 8, 1983) is an American professional baseball catcher with the San Diego Padres of Major League Baseball.
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Early life[edit]
As a 12-year-old Hundley played on the Santa Clarita Mudcats. Other Mudcats alumni include Ryan Braun and James Shields.
Professional career[edit]
Hundley was drafted in 2005 by the San Diego Padres in the second round. He was called up to the majors for the first time on July 3, 2008. On July 26, 2008, Hundley hit his first career home run against the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Based on his performance in 60 games in 2008, Hundley went to spring training in 2009 as the Padres starting catcher.[1] During the season he was mentored by back-up Henry Blanco, but he missed approximately 50 games from late June to early August due to a wrist injury.[2]
In 2010 Hundley shared catching duties with Yorvit Torrealba, appearing in a career high of 85 games and batting .249 with 8 homers.
In 2011, Hundley was the Padres primary catcher, but he lost significant playing time to an oblique injury and elbow surgery.[3] Against the Florida Marlins on August 21, 2011, Hundley hit his fifth triple of the season, tying the Padres single season record for triples by a catcher set by Benito Santiago in 1990. It was also Hundley's fourth triple in his last six games.[4] Hundley finished the season with a .288/.347/.477 batting line and 9 home runs in 281 at-bats, career highs in all categories. Behind the plate, he threw out 36% of runners trying to steal.
On March 20, 2012, Hundley signed a long term contract with the Padres that would keep him in San Diego through 2014 with a club option for 2015, which is the first year Hundley will be eligible for free agency.[5] After a prolonged slump at the start of the 2012 season, Hundley was optioned to Triple-A Tucson on June 30, and catcher Yasmani Grandal was recalled. At the time, Hundley was hitting only .166 with three home runs, 22 RBIs, and 50 strikeouts in 55 games with San Diego.[6] Hundley batted .190 in 13 games in Triple-A and spent time on the disabled list with a strained hamstring before returning to the Padres on August 9.[7] He played in only three more games before a torn meniscus in his right knee forced him to the disabled list and eventually required surgery, ending his season. Hundley said that he had injured the knee in a game in April when he was trying to recover a pitch in the dirt and got tangled with the umpire. Manager Bud Black believes the injury contributed to Hundley's poor season at the plate.[8] He ended the season with a .157 average in 204 at-bats.
Personal life[edit]
Hundley is not related to former Major League Baseball catchers Randy or Todd Hundley.[9] Hundley's father, Tim, is a former assistant football coach at UCLA, Colorado, Washington, UTEP, and Oregon State.[10]
References[edit]
- ^ "USA Today Sports Weekly's 100 Names You Need to Know". USA Today Sports Weekly. February 5, 2009. Retrieved 2102-07-05.
- ^ Brittain, Amy (August 3, 2009). "Hundley set to go on rehab assignment". MLB.com. Retrieved 2012-07-05.
- ^ Sullivan, Jeff (July 8, 2011). "Nick Hundley Injury: Padres Catcher To Have Elbow Surgery". SBNation.com. Retrieved 2012-07-05.
- ^ "Padres walk off in ninth to finish four-game sweep of Marlins". ESPN.com. Associated Press. August 21, 2011. Retrieved 2011-08-22.
- ^ Sullivan, Jeff (March 20, 2012). "Nick Hundley Contract Worth $9 Million". SBNation.com. Retrieved 2012-07-05.
- ^ "Nick Hundley optioned to Triple-A". ESPN.com. Associated Press. June 30, 2012. Retrieved 2012-07-05.
- ^ Von Benko, George (August 10, 2012). "Hundley excited to be back with Padres". MLB.com. Retrieved November 12, 2012.
- ^ Center, Bill (August 27, 2012). "Hundley to have surgery on right knee Wednesday". The San Diego Union-Tribune. Retrieved November 12, 2012.
- ^ "Q&A with Nick Hundley". The San Diego Union-Tribune. July 12, 2008. Retrieved 2011-08-22.
- ^ Meehan, Brian (June 20, 2008). "Vagabond childhood prepares Nick Hundley for life behind the plate". The Oregonian. Retrieved 2011-08-22.
External links[edit]
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- Career statistics and player information from MLB, or ESPN, or Baseball-Reference, or Fangraphs, or The Baseball Cube, or Baseball-Reference (Minors)
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