Hello, walls: twins gold glove center fielder Torii Hunter will run through walls to make a catch, but he doesn't mind going over them either. (Baseball).

If Torii Hunter isn't leaping over a wall to snatch back a home run, he's diving flat out across some outfield to rob someone of extra bases. Hunter is the best defensive center fielder in the American League--"It's no contest," says one scout--and he has the highlights to prove it:

On opening day, Hunter sprinted 50 yards and ended the game with a diving catch against the Royals' Neifi Perez. Two days later, he denied Mike Sweeney a home run, preserving a 1-0 victory.

There also have been above-the-wall grabs to take away homers from Joe Randa in Kansas City, Mo Vaughn in New York and John Mabry in Oakland.

Just last week, Hunter stole hits from the White Sox's Carlos Lee on consecutive nights by sprinting at breakneck speed across the outfield of Comiskey Park.

Any center fielder this side of Andruw Jones would feel fortunate to include one of these plays among his career highlights. But not Hunter, an MVP candidate. He is blessed with speed, a nose for the ball and a strong arm. What makes him most special, however, is an unmatched fearlessness in taking on outfield walls.

"I'm suicidal," Hunter acknowledges. If there's a chance to make the play, the wall be damned. This is a guy who charged through a plywood fence in the minors and knocked himself out ramming into a pole in high school. He says he has fractures in both big toes from hitting fences this season. "I've always been that way," Hunter says. "When I was younger, everyone said I was nuts." Hence his nickname, T-Nutts. As in Torii is nuts.

Twins manager Ron Gardenhire admits he sometimes has to look away from the outfield because of Hunter's aggressiveness. Watching your best player ram into a wall at full speed in a 10-0 game can be painful. Earlier this season, Gardenhire advised Hunter on the benefits of avoiding collisions. Hunter's response: "I have to do it for my pitchers."