Relief great Trevor Hoffman in El Paso tutoring Chihuahuas pitchers

Trevor Hoffman hasn’t pitched in four years and it’s been six since he was a member of the San Diego Padres. The 46-year-old future Hall of Famer should be relaxing in Southern California with his family, counting down the days until he gets the call from Cooperstown.

Instead, he’s firing batting practice pitches to the Triple-A El Paso Chihuahuas, sweat dripping off skin that has the same color and texture as the glove on his left hand. The Padres’ new upper-level pitching coordinator’s concentration on each pitch is narrowed and focused as each ball goes to the exact part of the strike zone Hoffman wants. Whether or not the batter makes good contact is up to the guy at the plate, but Hoffman is teaching those Chihuahuas pitchers keen enough to pay attention. The lesson?

This is the dedication and passion you must have to not just reach but succeed in the Major Leagues.

“I think it’s great for him to get his feet wet into coaching because he’s never done this before,” El Paso manager Pat Murphy said. “He certainly will easily fit into it because his knowledge, his passion and his commitment to passing on what he has. He doesn’t need this job. Obviously, Trevor made a lot of money in the game and doesn’t need to be doing it, but he does it because he loves passing on what he has to the kids.”

Read the full Minor League Baseball article at http://atmilb.com/1fqpGB2