Larry Darnell Herndon (born November 3, 1953), sometimes referred to by the nickname "Hondo", is an American former baseball outfielder and hitting coach. He played in Major League Baseball in 1974 and from 1976 to 1988. Born in Mississippi and raised in Memphis, Tennessee, Herndon was drafted by the St. Louis Cardinals in 1971. He played for four years principally in the Cardinals' minor-league system. Herndon was traded to the San Francisco Giants in 1975. In six years with the Giants, he won the National League Rookie of the Year award in 1976 and the Willie Mac Award in 1981. Herndon next played for the Detroit Tigers as a left fielder from 1982 to 1988. He was a member of the 1984 Detroit Tigers team that won the American League pennant and defeated the San Diego Padres in the 1984 World Series. After his playing career ended, Herndon was the Tigers' hitting coach from 1992 to 1998. He was later a coach for the Lakeland Flying Tigers. Early years Herndon was born in 1953 at Sunflower, Mississippi. He was the oldest of eight children. He began playing baseball as a boy in a clearing next to the railroad tracks in Sunflower. He decided at age eight that he wanted to play major league baseball. He was raised by his grandmother, Estella. When Herndon was in sixth grade, he moved with his grandmother to Memphis, Tennessee. He attended Douglass High School in Memphis. He played baseball for the Douglass baseball team for three years, batting .368 as a sophomore, .405 as a junior, and .413 as a senior. He was also played for the Douglass basketball team and was a sprinter on the Douglass track team. Professional baseball player St. Louis Cardinals system Herndon was selected by the St. Louis Cardinals in the third round of the 1971 Major League Baseball Draft. He was scouted for St. Louis by Buddy Lewis who described Herndon as "excellent speed, a good arm, spray hitter, an outstanding overall athlete." Herndon signed with the Cardinals for a total of $25,000, including a $15,000 signing bonus. He was initially assigned to the Cardinals' rookie team in the Gulf Coast League. During the 1971 season, his fellow rookie and roommate was Randy Poffo, who later became known as wrestler Randy Savage. In 1972, Herndon split his time between the Gulf Coast League Redbirds, the Single-A Cedar Rapids