Hunter Renfroe


Dustin Hunter Renfroe is an American professional baseball outfielder for the Tampa Bay Rays of Major League Baseball. He has played in MLB for the San Diego Padres. He received a scholarship to Mississippi State University, where he played college baseball for the Mississippi State Bulldogs. The Padres selected Renfroe in the first round of the 2013 MLB draft.

Early life

Hunter Renfroe was born and raised in Crystal Springs, Mississippi, to parents Todd and Tammy. He attended Copiah Academy in Gallman, Mississippi, where he played for the school's baseball team.

Career

Amateur career

Selected by the Boston Red Sox in the 31st round of the 2010 Major League Baseball draft, Renfroe did not sign. He enrolled at Mississippi State University, where he played college baseball for the Mississippi State Bulldogs. On April 15, 2013, he was named the Southeastern Conference Player of the Week. He was also named to the Golden Spikes Award watchlist and was the 2013 recipient of the C Spire Ferriss Trophy, given to the best college baseball player in Mississippi. From 2011 - 2012, Renfroe played for the Bethesda Big Train of the , where he broke the Big Train record for most runs, home runs, runs batted in, slugging percentage, and total bases in a season in 2012. Renfroe's number "11" was retired by the Big Train in 2012 and sits high above the field on a light post in left center field where many of his home runs eventually landed.

San Diego Padres

Renfroe was considered among the best prospects available in the 2013 MLB draft. The San Diego Padres selected Renfroe in the first round, with the 13th overall selection. Renfroe agreed to a $2,678,000 signing bonus and began his professional career with the Eugene Emeralds of the Class A-Short Season Northwest League. After participating in the Northwest League's all-star game and registering the game-winning hit, the Padres promoted him to the Fort Wayne TinCaps of the Class A Midwest League in August.
Renfroe began the 2014 season with the Lake Elsinore Storm of the Class A-Advanced California League. In 69 games for Lake Elsinore, Renfroe had a.295 batting average, 16 home runs, and 52 runs batted in. He was promoted to the San Antonio Missions of the Class AA Texas League. Renfroe played in the 2014 All-Star Futures Game. After the season, the Padres assigned Renfroe to the Arizona Fall League to continue his development. Renfroe began the 2015 season with San Antonio and received a promotion in August to the El Paso Chihuahuas of the Class AAA Pacific Coast League. He played in 21 games for El Paso. For the season, Renfroe had a.272 average with 20 home runs and 78 RBIs, including a.333 average and six home runs with 24 RBIs with El Paso.
The Padres invited Renfroe to spring training in 2016. He opened the 2016 season with El Paso. He won the 2016 Pacific Coast League Most Valuable Player Award. Following the 2016 Triple-A Baseball National Championship Game, the Padres promoted Renfroe to the major leagues on September 21. He made his first plate appearance as a pinch hitter that same night, getting intentionally walked by Arizona Diamondbacks reliever Edwin Escobar. He batted.371 in 11 games for San Diego.
Renfroe made the Padres' Opening Day roster in 2017 as the starting right fielder. On August 19, Renfroe was optioned to El Paso due to his declining performance in reaching base. He was recalled to the majors on September 18 after the end of the Triple-A season. Renfroe finished the 2017 season with a batting line of.231/.284/.467 and 26 home runs with 117 starts in right field. Renfroe began the 2018 season primarily starting only against left-handed pitching, but picked up more starts after Wil Myers got injured. He led the Padres in home runs in 2018 with 26.

Tampa Bay Rays

On December 6, 2019, Renfroe, Xavier Edwards, and a player to be named later were traded to the Tampa Bay Rays in exchange for Tommy Pham and Jake Cronenworth.

Personal life

Renfroe married Courtney Beach on December 5, 2015, in their hometown of Crystal Springs.