Bob Horner Passes Away

Bob Horner, a former All-Star and Rookie of the Year, died at 68. Born in Kansas and raised in Arizona, he chose Arizona State University after being drafted in the 15th round by the A’s. He hit 56 home runs in three seasons for the Sun Devils, leading them to a national title in 1977 and a runner-up finish in 1978. The Braves drafted him first in 1978 and placed him on the MLB roster immediately, where he hit 23 homers and won NL Rookie of the Year narrowly over Ozzie Smith. He played seven straight years at third base, later moving to first base, and finished nine seasons in Atlanta with 215 home runs.

"The Braves held the first pick in the 1978 draft, which was held in the middle of June. They selected Horner and immediately added him to the MLB roster. That bold decision paid off, as he slugged 23 homers (including one off Bert Blyleven in his big league debut) and drove in 63 runs in 89 games. He narrowly topped future Hall of Famer Ozzie Smith for the NL Rookie of the Year award."

"Horner was born in Kansas but grew up in Arizona. A 15th-round pick by the A's out of high school, he instead elected to attend Arizona State University. The righty-hitting Horner had a legendary college career, clubbing 56 home runs over three seasons with the Sun Devils. It was then an all-time NCAA record and remains the most for any ASU hitter to this day."

"Horner opened the following season as Atlanta's third baseman, his first of seven straight years in that role. He remained an impact power threat, topping 30 homers in each of his first two full MLB campaigns. Horner earned a ninth-place finish in MVP balloting behind a career-high 35 longballs in 1980. He made the '82 All-Star Game during his third 30-plus homer season, also helping the Braves to an NL West title."

"Over parts of nine seasons in Atlanta, Horner hit .278/.339/.508 with 215 home runs. He moved to first base for the '86 campaign, in which he hit .273 with 27 homers. That included one of the best single-game performances in history. Horner had a four-homer game against Montreal on July 6, 1986. It's one of 21 such recognized games in big league history and remains the only four-homer perf"

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