Brian Hunter MLB profile

        Outfielder Brian Hunter, acquired by the Reds in a trade on Sunday, is very familiar with at least one of his new teammates: Reliever Scott Sullivan.

        Hunter, picked up from the Rockies for minor-league right-hander Robert Averette, charged the mound after he was hit by Sullivan in a game last month in Colorado. The bench-clearing melee that ensued resulted in suspensions for both Hunter and Sullivan.

        Reds general manager Jim Bowden wanted Hunter not for his fists, but his feet.

        Hunter, 29, is hitting .275 with 15 steals in 18 tries. He led the American League in 1997 with 79, and last year with 44.

        He's been successful on 80 percent of steal attempts in his career. Bowden thinks that could make a difference for a team that has three one-run losses in its five-game losing streak.

Brian Hunter charges Scott Sullivan. (AP photo) | ZOOM |

Sullivan knocks down Hunter with a punch. (AP photo) | ZOOM |

Chris Stynes and Tom Goodwin enter the fracas. | ZOOM |

        “He brings a lot of speed,” Bowden said of Hunter. “He can disrupt a game. We've lost those one-run games. This is a guy who can get on first, steal second, steal third and score on a ground ball to short.”

        Hunter further crowds the Reds' outfield picture. The Reds have two solid backups in Michael Tucker and Alex Ochoa.

        Averette, 23, was 12-6 with a 2.44 ERA for Double-A Chattanooga. He made two starts at Triple-A Louisville, where he was 0-1 with an 8.38 ERA.

        The Reds were able to work a trade for Hunter after they claimed him off waivers.

        If a player is claimed off waivers, his team can either call him back or work out a trade in 72 hours with the team that claimed him.

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