On May 15th, 2031 Elko Outfielder Joey Hoffman was involved in a scary collision on the bases. Hoffman, 37 years old, missed extended time in 2029 with a concussion as well. This latest one could not be overcome, and considering his age, Hoffman and his team decided it was best to hang them up and not push his luck with something as important as his brain. It’s hard to argue with the choice, since there isn’t much he hasn’t accomplished in this time in the WPBL. For the first time since the injury, Hoffman sat down with the media for an interview. Before we get to that, let’s recap Hoffman’s storied career.
Soaring to Unfathomable Heights with the Geese(2022 - 2025; 4 seasons)
Joey joined the WPBL in the league’s second season, as part of the Victoria Geese expansion team. The tall, strong center fielder from Santa Ana, CA was instantly a fan favorite. At 28 years old, the hard working Hoffman was at his prime. Many people predicted he would be an MVP caliber player, which is a monstrous expectation. Joey exceeded even those lofty expectations, all while capturing the hearts of WPBL fans everywhere. At his peak, the cool California kid had fans in every city, always making sure to sign autographs for waiting kids after every game, home or away.
Joey proved quickly he was a complete 5 tool player. He started his career as a center fielder in a way that will be hard to match for any one else coming into the league: 3 straight years of winning Great Gloves and Platinum Stick awards. This all culminated with being the MVP runner up in that third season(2024). His fourth year for the Geese was a bit of a down year by his standards, but he still was an all star and plus player at his position. In 4 years for the Geese, Joey hit 54 home runs, stole 48 bases, slashed .299/.396/.522.
Joining the Stampede in Lake Tahoe (2026-2028, 3 seasons)
Entering his 5th year in the league, Joey was missing only two things on his resume, and that was a championship and a MVP. The Geese didn’t have the look of a contender, and the two amicably split via trade before the start of the 2026 season. Joey slid right into his new role with the Lake Tahoe Mustangs, an organization that quickly established itself as one of the premiere organizations in the league. The Mustangs were already dynastic without Joey, but getting him completed one of the most well rounded team’s to be ever composed in the young history of the league.
Individually, the Hoffman-Mustangs pairing paid dividends for Joey. He got over the hump and won the 2026 MVP and Lake Tahoe made the playoffs with a second place finish in the division. There, they met with the most dominant single season teams of all time(the 2026 Kennewick Atoms, who won 59 games) and were promptly swept from the playoffs in the division series. Joey himself had a terrible postseason himself, slashing .114/.279/.257. The talk of the sport’s world was if Joey had the spunk/fire to succeed at the sport’s most critical moments, or if he would be relegated to just regular season success.
2027 saw him add another great glove, his first as a RF. He finished with a similar year stats wise to his MVP year, but the overall talent of the league made it so he wasn’t in the MVP race this go around. Still, he slashed .288/.386/.509 and brought that superstar energy every game for a Lake Tahoe team that won 53 games and took the division. In the playoffs, they lost in 6 games to Bandon, and Hoffman once again did not play up to regular season standards, hitting for only a .536 OPS.
In 2028, entering the final year of his contract, Hoffman had a decent year in RF for the Mustangs, sporting a 2.3 WAR and a .775 OPS. He looked like he took a step back, but the team as a whole was the most complete team Hoffman had ever had around him. The Mustangs, with the help of the Danny Schumacher perfect game, came back from a 3-1 deficit and took home the WPBL championship over the Pocatello Old-Timers. Joey finally had his championship. When asked how he felt after the win, Joey Hoffman said this, with watery eyes, “I always imagined what this would feel like. I figured I could guess the emotions. I thought I’d be relieved mostly. I was wrong. I’m a good ballplayer, I know this. But to succeed at this level, with this team… To see the hard work of every single player here, day in and day out. To see the grit and fight we had culminate in this moment, I am just so proud of these guys. This is what baseball is about.”
Truckin’ into the Sunset out in Elko (2029-present; 3 seasons)
After the championship, Hoffman and Lake Tahoe went their separate ways. It was another amicable split, Lake Tahoe didn’t seem to want to match market price for Joey, and Joey didn’t put blame on them. Instead , he signed a massive 6 year, 4.7 million dollar deal with the Elko Truckers, who thought he still had plenty of gas left in the tank to warrant the price tag. Joey still felt like he lacked some individual success in the playoffs, so being a part of a contender was his biggest focus. In 2029, Joey had the first injury troubles of his career, missing extended time with a concussion. In just 35 games, he did produce 2.3 WAR and slashed .317/.418/.675. Unfortunately, the Truckers lost in 6 games in the wildcard series to the eventual champion, the Gillette Bison, and Hoffman struggled at the plate again. At 35 years old, with a big contract, and still no individual postseason success, a lot of pundits thought his best days were behind him, and that Hoffman could be a good piece on a contender, but he just couldn’t be THE guy.
Before the 2030 season, Joey was asked his thoughts on some people saying he was over the hill. He smiled and said just two words, two words that became a rallying cry for all the Truckers that season: “Just Watch”. Hoffman started the season hot and won the batter of the month in May. He slotted in and played every outfield position for Elko on the way to playing 81 games, slashing .284/.366/.513 and ended up third in MVP voting. The Truckers won 48 games and took the division. They avenged a loss to the Bison in the division series, winning in 6 games. They then took down Hoffman’s original team, the Victoria Geese, in the championship in 6 games. Hoffman was stellar throughout. In 12 games he hit 5 homers, .273/.407/.705(1.112 OPS), and finally put together the type of postseason run that his resume was missing. With that showing, Hoffman solidified himself as one of the greats.
In 2031, Hoffman only played 11 games before the scary collision occurred.
Now, to the interview:
Richard Salas: Thanks for sitting down today Joey. I know it isn’t easy. Can you walk me through how it’s been for you, with your career ending so abruptly
Joey Hoffman: Thanks Rich. Can I call you Rich? Honestly, I still feel guilty when I wake up every day. Like i’m quitting on those guys. It doesn’t feel good at all, but I'm just at the point where I know I won’t be playing baseball again. It was really the only decision I could make.
RS: You are still a regular in the clubhouse though, how is that working?
JH: Well, due to the rules, I’m still collecting a pretty hefty paycheck. Everyone is aware of that, myself included. The least I can do is to contribute the rest of this year the only way I can
RS: So, coaching a bit?
JH: Ha, I guess you could call it that. Curt(Bauer, current Elko manager) calls it “mentoring.” I’m currently the highest paid mentor in the league right now you could say.
RS: Who have you been working with the most?
JH: Spending a lot of time with Lucas (Bone Jr., Elko Outfielder). Little bro has a sweet swing, I’ll give him that. Can’t field a lick, but we’re working on it. When Nate (Neely, Rookie Elko Outfielder) went down with an injury around the time of the concussion, we naturally spent a lot of time together too. I’ve been walking him through tons of mental stuff. Taught him chess, how 401k’s work, that sort of adult stuff on the side.
RS: They’ve really found a groove lately. Would you take credit for that?
JH: Ha, nah man that’s all them. I just make myself available. They’re the ones coming in early for the extra work, taking the extra swings. Sometimes I wish they’d work less, so I could take a day off too.
RS: Well, they sing your praises every time I chat with them. Can you walk us through how you got to the decision to hang them up?
JH: Well, Everyone saw the collision. The concussion, in a vacuum, is something I think I could overcome. But I suffered extensive damage to an already sensitive part of my neck, the same part that suffered damage in the 2029 incident. It could take years of rehab to get everything to even 50%, and that isn’t going to be enough to cut it in this league.I’m already 37 years old. If this wasn’t a sign to retire, I dont know what is.
RS: After the title run last year, who can blame you.
JH. See. That right there is actually the hardest part. This team is still a contender, even without me. In another alternate reality, I sneak in another championship before I retire. That is off the table now, at least for me doing it as a player. It sucks, but every player’s time comes at one point or another. Joe Watts (now retired former Elko 3B) was actually the first player who called me after the news broke. He’s been through this, the emotions, even the feelings of lost purpose. That gave me a big boost. After this season, I’m going to take his advice and step away from the game for a little bit. Read some books, spend time with the family, might even take up Ice fishing or something.
RS: Any final thoughts before we wrap this up?
JH: Just a big thanks to all the fans. To the Geese faithful who were there to start, and made a young, shy california boy feel comfortable up in Canada. The Mustang faithful who cheered me on, even when I didn’t live up to expectations in the playoffs. To all the Trucker fans who supported me through constant injuries. Big thanks to all the great organizations I’ve been a part of, and the well run machine that the WPBL is. To all my former teammates, you made this game worth playing. To my former opponents, I enjoyed the high stakes competition. Especially you Chris Ponder, i’d have 2 MVPs if you didn’t go so crazy in 2024. Finally, I want to thank baseball. For giving me opportunities I could never imagine. For teaching me some of life’s best lessons, and providing me some of its biggest triumphs. For empowering and humbling me. It’s just a game, but for the longest time, it was my game. It’s not anymore, but I leave it in good hands.
Comments