Michael Purdon retweetledi
We are saddened by the passing of former Braves third baseman Bob Horner.
The first overall pick in the 1978 MLB Draft, Horner made the jump straight to the Majors without playing a single day in the Minors.
Just ten days after being drafted, Horner made his MLB debut and homered off future Hall of Famer Bert Blyleven. Horner went on to blast 23 home runs in just 89 games and won NL Rookie of the Year honors.
He went on to top the 30-homer mark three times in the next four years and was a National League All-Star in 1982, when he helped lead the Atlanta Braves to a division title.
Horner spent 9 of his 10 Major League seasons with the Braves. He made history on July 6, 1986 when he slugged a record-tying 4 home runs in one game. It was the only four-homer game of the 1980s.
Horner completed his college career at Arizona State with the most home runs in NCAA history, a mark since broken. He was named MVP of the 1977 College World Series and was the very first winner of the prestigious Golden Spikes Award in 1978.
He was 68 years old.
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