Reports: Jeff Hoffman to Start Season in AAA

Sources close to the situation have indicated to me that Shaker High grad Jeff Hoffman will be starting the season in AAA Albuquerque for the Colorado Rockies.

The Latham native is the No. 5 prospect in the Rockies organization, according to MLB.com.

He was drafted with the No. 9 pick in the 2014 MLB Draft by the Toronto Blue Jays despite needing Tommy John Surgery right before the draft. He was traded to the Rockies in the massive mid-summer deal last year that brought Troy Tulowitzki to the Jays and sent Hoffman and Jose Reyes to Colorado.

Hoffman was a non-roster invitee to major league spring training this year. He went 0-0 with the big club in 4.2 innings. He pitched to a 7.71 ERA.

He is armed with a fastball in the mid-to-upper 90s and also is working on a slider. He has dominant stuff and looks to be a fixture at the top of the Rockies rotation for years to come.