Todd Randolph Hundley (born May 27, 1969) is a former Major League Baseball catcher and outfielder. He was a two-time All-Star who played for 14 seasons with the New York Mets, Los Angeles Dodgers, and Chicago Cubs. Early life Hundley was born in Martinsville, Virginia and grew up in Illinois where his father, Randy, was a catcher for the Chicago Cubs. Hundley attended William Fremd High School in Palatine, Illinois, where he played on the school baseball and hockey teams. As a switch-hitting junior, he led his team in runs batted in and had a batting average of .357. Professional career The Mets selected Hundley in the second round of the 1987 MLB draft with the 39th overall pick. He was selected as a compensation pick from the Baltimore Orioles for signing Ray Knight. Hundley made his major league debut with the New York Mets on May 18, 1990 when he was 20 years old. He came up with great fanfare but did not hit very well in his first few years in the Major Leagues. Hundley described himself as overmatched early in his career. After a few years and a few injuries, his hitting increasingly improved to match his defense. He began to break out in the strike-shortened 1994 season and that breakout continued into the following seasons. In 1996, Hundley hit 41 home runs, setting the Mets single-season home run record (previously set by Darryl Strawberry in 1988) and the single-season record for catchers (previously set by Roy Campanella in 1953). Carlos Beltrán subsequently tied the team record in 2006 and Pete Alonso broke it in 2019. Javy López broke the positional record in 2003. Hundley was named to the National League All-Star team for the first time in 1996 and then again 1997. He also received votes for the Most Valuable Player Award in 1996. The Mets' acquisition of perennial All-Star Mike Piazza in May 1998 combined with a career-threatening elbow injury brought his tenure with the Mets to a close. With Piazza on the roster, the Mets moved Hundley to left field where he had little success. He was traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers on December 1, 1998 in a three-team trade that brought Armando Benítez and Roger Cedeño to the Mets while also sending fellow catcher Charles Johnson to the Baltimore Orioles. Rob Neyer later summarized the trajectory of Hundley's tenure with the Mets