Larry Darnell Herndon (born November 3, 1953), sometimes referred to by the nickname "Hondo", is an American former professional 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 Sporting News 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.
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.
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 Cardinals of the Midwest League, and the Single-A St. Petersburg Cardinals of the Florida State League.
Herndon spent the full 1973 season with the St. Petersburg Cardinals. Appearing in 141 games, he compiled a .287 batting average (.343 on-base percentage) and stole 41 bases.
Herndon began the 1974 season with the Arkansas Travelers of the Texas League. He appeared in 132 games, compiled a .285 batting average, and stole 50 bases. He was called up to the Cardinals in September 1974. He appeared in at least 10 games as a pinch-runner and one as a late-inning replacement. The Cardinals were reportedly grooming Herndon as a replacement for Lou Brock. In his only plate appearance, he hit a single. Used principally as a pinch-runner, he also scored three runs.
Herndon began the 1975 season with the Tulsa Oilers, the Cardinals Triple-A team in the American Association.
On May 9, 1975, the Cardinals traded Herndon and minor-league pitcher Tony Gonzalez to the San Francisco Giants in exchange for pitcher Ron Bryant. Herndon spent the remainder of the 1975 season with the Phoenix Giants, San Francisco's Triple-A club in the Pacific Coast League. He appeared in 115 games with Phoenix in 1975, batting .269 with 17 stolen bases.
Herndon began the 1976 season in Phoenix but was quickly called up. He became the Giants' starting center fielder in 1976, appearing in 115 games, 110 of them in center field. He compiled a .288 batting average as a rookie (.337 on-base percentage) with 42 runs scored, 16 extra-base hits and 12 stolen bases. Defensively, his performance was mixed. He ranked fifth among National League outfielders with eight errors, but he also ranked third with four double plays turned. At the end of the season, The Sporting News selected Herndon for its National League Rookie of the Year award. The publication credited Herndon's "tremendous throwing arm, excellent speed and defensive maturity not often found in a first year man."
Herndon injured his leg playing winter ball after the 1976 season. He reinjured the leg in June 1977 and underwent knee surgery to repair the damage. He appeared in only 49 games during the 1977 season, and his batting average dropped to .239.
By late August 1977, Herndon claimed he was healthy and ready to play, but the team refused to activate him. Herndon checked out of the team's hotel and did not return to the team until the following spring. The San Francisco Examiner referred to him as an "AWOL outfielder" and to the incident as "The Larry Herndon Mystery". Herndon later recalled: "I was young and immature in my first few years. I came to expect certain things that didn't develop and I didn't handle it well. I let it bother me at home and at the park."
Herndon returned to form in 1978, appearing in 151 games, including 149 in center field. He compiled a .259 batting average and stole 13 bases. He also ranked fourth in the league with nine triples. Defensively, he ranked fourth among the league's outfielders with 10 errors but also ranked third with a 2.92 range factor per nine innings.
After playing exclusively in center field during his first three seasons with the Giants, Herndon lost the starting role to Bill North. Herndon divided his playing time in 1979 between center field (84 games with only 36 starts), left field (39 games), and right field (12 games).