Former National League Rookie of the Year and legend Bob Horner has died, the team announced Tuesday. He was 68. Horner skipped the minor leagues entirely as the No. 1 overall pick in the 1978 MLB draft, and joined the Braves that June.
“Bob Horner built a career out of being first,” the Braves wrote in a statement. “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.”
Before his major league career, Horner was one of the greatest college baseball players ever at Arizona State. He set the then-records for career home runs (58) and single-season home runs (25), and he was the first ever winner of the Golden Spikes Award in 1978, which is essentially college baseball’s Heisman Trophy. Horner was also MVP of the 1977 College World Series.
The Braves selected Horner with the No. 1 pick in the 1978 draft on June 6. He made his MLB debut less than two weeks later on June 16, and, at age 20, hit a home run off Hall of Famer Bert Blyleven in his first game. Horner played 89 games that season and hit .266/.313/.539 with 23 home runs, which earned him Rookie of the Year honors over runner-up Ozzie Smith.
Primarily a third baseman, Horner paired with Dale Murphy to form one of baseball’s best 1-2 punches in the late 1970s and early 1980s. Horner hit .278/.339/.508 and averaged 36 home runs per 162 games with Atlanta from 1978-86. He had three 30-homer seasons, including a career high 35 in 1980, and was an All-Star in 1982. He also received MVP votes in 1979, 1980, and 1983.
On July 6, 1986, Horner hit what was then the ninth four-homer game in baseball history, and the first since Hall of Famer Mike Schmidt more than a decade earlier on April, 17, 1976.
Horner became a free agent at age 28 after the 1986 season, during which he hit .273/.336/.472 with 27 home runs in a career high 141 games. He received no offers, however, as the owners colluded to drive down salaries. Horner instead signed with the Yakult Swallows in Japan, where he authored a .327/.423/.683 batting line with 31 home runs in 93 games in 1987.
Rather than remain in Japan, Horner returned to MLB with the in 1988, but played only 60 games due to a shoulder injury. A spring training comeback attempt with the in 1989 didn’t come to fruition. As part of MLB’s collusion settlement with the MLB Players Association, Horner was awarded more than $7 million.
Horner retired with 1,047 hits and 218 home runs in parts of 10 MLB seasons. His 215 home runs with the Braves are the eighth most in franchise history. Horner was induced into the College Baseball Hall of Fame as part of the inaugural class in 2006.
