MLB Icon Dies At 68

Bob Horner, the former Atlanta Braves slugger and Arizona State baseball legend who became one of the most feared power hitters of the late 1970s and early 1980s, has died at 68, the Braves announced Tuesday.

The Braves honored Horner with a lengthy statement celebrating the trailblazing career that made him one of the franchise’s most memorable stars.

“Bob Horner built a career out of being first. He was the first overall pick in the 1978 draft after an illustrious collegiate career. He was the first Braves draftee to skip the minor leagues entirely and debut directly in the majors. And he was the first Atlanta player to ever hit four home runs in a single game, when he did so against the Montreal Expos in 1986.

“The National League Rookie of the Year in 1978 and an NL All-Star in 1982, Horner teamed with Dale Murphy to form one of the most feared power duos in the game for nearly a decade.

“The Atlanta Braves extend sincere sympathies to his wife, Chris, two sons, Tyler and Trent, and his numerous friends and fans across the game.”

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The Braves selected Horner with the No. 1 overall pick in the 1978 MLB Draft after a dominant career at Arizona State. He bypassed the minor leagues entirely and debuted in the majors less than two weeks after being drafted. In his first big league game on June 16, 1978, Horner homered off future Hall of Famer Bert Blyleven.

Horner wasted little time becoming one of baseball’s premier power bats. He won National League Rookie of the Year honors in 1978 after hitting .266 with 23 home runs and 63 RBIs in just 89 games.

Over 10 MLB seasons, Horner blasted 218 home runs while batting .277 with 685 RBIs across 1,020 games. He spent nine seasons with Atlanta before a brief stint with the St. Louis Cardinals in 1988. Between those stops, Horner played one season in Japan with the Yakult Swallows after becoming caught up in baseball’s collusion era during free agency.

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His best statistical season came in 1980, when he crushed a career-high 35 home runs. Horner also topped the 30-homer mark in 1979 and 1982, earning his lone All-Star selection during the latter campaign while helping lead Atlanta to the NLCS with 32 home runs and 97 RBIs.

One of the signature moments of Horner’s career came on July 6, 1986, when he became the first player in Braves history to hit four home runs in a single game against the Montreal Expos.

Before starring in the majors, Bob Horner built one of the greatest college baseball careers ever seen. At Arizona State, he launched 58 career home runs, which stood as an NCAA record at the time, while also setting a single-season mark with 25 homers. He was named All-WAC in all three college seasons.

Horner led the Sun Devils to three straight College World Series appearances, including a national championship in 1977. He was named the College World Series Most Outstanding Player and later became the first-ever winner of the Golden Spikes Award in 1978, presented annually to the nation’s top college baseball player.

In 2006, Horner was inducted into the College Baseball Hall of Fame as part of its inaugural class.

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