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Kirby Puckett is the most remembered Twins player to pass away earlier than expected. As Twins Daily celebrates Black History Month, here are three African American players that passed away in the prime of their careers. Herman Hill, CF Died: December 14, 1970 It’s incredible to consider what Hill could accomplish and overcome in his life. His parents worked as sharecroppers in the Deep South, and he was one of 15 siblings. His family eventually moved north, like many African Americans at the time. Hill missed two years of school due to illness as a younger child, so he was older than his peers. He tried out for the Baltimore Orioles as an eighth-grader, but he went to high school and became a three-sport star. His best tool was his speed, which held true during his professional career. He made his professional debut in the Twins organization as a 20-year old in rookie ball. Because of his age, he moved quickly through the system before debuting at age-23 in 1969. That season at Triple-A, he hit .300 and got on base over 34% of the time. He was primarily used as a pinch-runner and defensive replacement that season as he went 0-for-2 in his plate appearances, but he was able to score four runs. In 1970, he played in 27 big-league games and recorded his first hits at the MLB level. He went to Venezuela to participate in the winter league season that winter. On December 14, 1970, Hill drowned in Venezuela, a tragic end to a budding young career. Lyman Bostock, OF Died: September 24, 1978 Lyman Bostock was a rising star in the Twins organization that looked like he would eventually challenge teammate Rod Carew for AL Batting Titles. In his first two big-league seasons, he hit .323 and .336, which ranked him fourth and second in those seasons. During the 1977 campaign, he finished second in average (.336), fourth in runs scored (104), and seventh in on-base percentage (.389). At the season’s end, he ranked in the top-10 for WAR and in the top-4 for Offensive WAR. He hit free agency at the right time and eventually signed with the Angels for five years and $2.3 million. Bostock struggled in his first season with the Angels and even donated some of his salary to local charities because he believed he hadn’t earned it. On September 24th, he went 2-for-4 with a double in his final big-league game against the White Sox. Just hours later, Bostock was shot and killed as a passenger in a vehicle in his hometown of Gary, Indiana. He was in his age-27 season at the time with a bright career in front of him. Walt Bond, OF Died: September 14, 1967 Bond was a monster of a man. He was 6-foot-7 and weighed nearly 230 pounds. According to Baseball-Reference, he was the tallest man to play center field in major league history until Aaron Judge tied him in 2018. He debuted with Cleveland in 1960, but he wouldn’t earn a full-time role until his age-26 season with Houston. In two seasons for the Colt .45s, he hit .258/.322/.397 (.719), including a 20 homer season in 1964. His first season in the Twins organization was 1966, and he dominated at the Triple-A level. In 122 games, he batted .316/.385/.529 (.914) with 38 extra-base hits and a 42-to-36 strikeout to walk ratio. Minnesota called him up in 1967 for a cup of coffee, and he responded by going 5-for-16 (.313) with two extra-base hits in 10 games. Leukemia cut his season short that year, and he passed away in September at the age of 29. Do you have any memories of these former Twins players? Leave a COMMENT and start the discussion. MORE FROM TWINS DAILY — Latest Twins coverage from our writers — Recent Twins discussion in our forums — Follow Twins Daily via Twitter, Facebook or email View full article