Bob Horner and I were destined to be teammates somewhere. I signed a letter of intent to play baseball at Arizona State before I was drafted. Bob played at ASU and ended up in Atlanta my first full year in the major leagues—1978. One way or another, it was bound to happen.
From the minute Bob Horner joined the Braves, all us players could see he was good. I mean… really good. And that swing—short and quick, x or and could turn around anybody’s fast ball. And Bob knew the strike zone. He just did not swing at a bad pitch (like I had a tendency to do a little too often…) He was a unique talent and I was very lucky to be in the lineup with him most of my career. All of my numbers were better when he was hitting behind me. And that fact is not lost on me. I know my career was better because of him.
It’s been a hard few weeks for the Braves Family losing Ted and Bobby—and now Bob. These 3 men all had such a profound impact on my career. I am forever grateful.
Nancy and I will miss Bob and our hearts go out to Chris and Trent and Tyler, along with their entire family.
The older we get, the more we cherish wonderful memories and this past month has brought a flood of them back to us. The gratitude we feel for them all has been overwhelming.
Rest well, my friend and teammate.
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.