FIRST PLACE, Sports
My cousin Jeffery Robert Hoffman is a pitcher for the Major League Baseball team the Colorado Rockies.
Hoffman is a 24-year-old right-hander and was the ninth pick in the 2014 draft for the Toronto Blue Jays, then got traded to the Rockies.
Playing baseball since he was four, he states: “It was always a dream of mine to become a major league baseball player.”
Jeff tells me he’s at the stadium for six to seven hours a day off-season, but when the season starts even longer than that.
I would say that being a professional baseball player would be a very stressful job, but Jeff tells me that he enjoys playing a game for a living and it’s not something he has to stress too much about.
Hoffman explains that “playing baseball is challenging every day because we have to play against the best players not only in the country but in the world.”
He tells me that it’s challenging to be able to get himself to the level to succeed every day because no matter what’s going on in his life he has to go play against the best players in the world.
Jeff thinks it’s the coolest job in the world to show up, play a game, and get paid to do this for a living. He says: “What I enjoy most about playing major league baseball is that I get to go out and do what I have always done and play the game like I’m a kid again.”
Jeffrey started his early career as a local. Hoffman attended Shaker High School in Latham and pitched for their baseball team. In his junior year, he pitched to a 7-0 win-loss record. In his senior year, he led Shaker to their first Section II Class AA title game since 2002 against town rival Colonie High School. Jeff pitched seven shutout innings, 101 pitches and struck out nine. His average fastball averaged 82-83 miles per hour, but a little later is fastball improved to 92 miles per hour. This led to high signing a letter of intent with East Carolina University (ECU).
Jeff started out as an average kid but turned out to be a major star. Just because you are an average kid right now doesn’t mean you should give up your dreams because someday you may turn into someone you never thought you would be.
Hoffman was considered to be one of the best prospects available in the 2014 MLB draft with the potential to be selected first overall and by that time his fastball had reached 99 miles per hour.
Never let anyone put you down and ever give up on your dreams because someday that may be you out there pitching 9 MPH fastballs and being one of the best people of baseball history.
Jeff has other hobbies other than baseball. When he’s not playing baseball, he likes to hang out with his fiance, play video games, play with his dog and play golf. I think that baseball takes a lot of hard work and you have to be dedicated and passionate. When Jeff retires he doesn’t want to do anything.
After reading The Denver Post, I learned a new lesson. Jeff stated: “You have already proven you have the talent to get there. It’s about becoming a student of the game. It’s knowing that to succeed at this level, you have to go above and beyond. You need to learn from what’s around you and learn from experiences.”
After interviewing Jeffrey myself, I began thinking about baseball and what it is about. I thought of all the fantasies that came from it, and in the end, I realized that baseball truly is more than just a game.
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