MINNEAPOLIS (AP) -- When Torii Hunter first came up to the major leagues in 1997, Paul Molitor was bringing a Hall of Fame playing career to a close with his hometown Minnesota Twins.
Molitor could still swing the bat, and the impression he made on a talented group of youngsters, including Hunter, helped lay the foundation for the long-struggling team's renaissance.
Almost two decades later, Hunter is returning to Minnesota, his home away from home, to play for Molitor and return the favor.
''This is where I needed to be,'' Hunter said Wednesday after signing a $10.5 million, one-year contract with the Twins. ''This is home for me.''
Hunter spent the first 11 years of his career with the Twins. He was a first-round draft pick as an 18-year-old in 1993 and looked up to Kirby Puckett and Molitor, among others, as he made his way up through the system.
He watched how Molitor, who hit .341 in 161 games as a 39-year-old designated hitter with the Twins in 1996, went about his business, studying opposing pitchers for weaknesses and pouncing on blunders in the outfield to take an extra base.
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