Local Baseball Player Hopes for Successful Career in 'Big Leagues'

By Ben Lowenthal

Sitting in the corner of a small coffee house, Matthew Kauffman resembles any other resident one would see in a Richmond District cafe in the morning.

He hardly draws attention to himself, even when he produces two different baseballs to compare the raised stitching that differentiates college baseballs from minor league baseballs.

Eagerly, he explains that with the professional balls, the lowered stitching can sometimes bring a hint of doubt in his grip while he sets up a pitch.

"It's that doubt that can just drive you crazy," he said.

Kauffman was drafted by the Los Angeles Dodgers in the last draft and he just finished his first season in Vero Beach, Florida, playing for the minor league team Great Falls Dodgers.

He knows he has a lot ahead of himself, learning the nuances of the game both on and off the mound.

The left-handed Bay Area native was selected in the 13th round out of his college team at San Jose State University, where he was a relief pitcher. Immediately, he headed out to play for the Great Falls Dodgers.

The season, started in mid June and ended in early September, was created primarily to give college players an introduction to professional baseball, Kauffman said.

"I picked up some stuff, mainly smoothing out my technique. I was hurt some, so I wasn't playing as much as I liked," he said.

Near the end of his college career, Kauffman strained his elbow. Still, he made it as a first-round pick with the Dodgers.

Doug Thurman, the young pitcher's pitching coach at San Jose State, remembers Kauffman as a team player.

"He was liked by all his teammates," he said. "He's an overall team guy - the guy that keeps things light but never loses focus."

When Kauffman began to play at San Jose, Thurman noticed that he had a lot of raw talent and felt that he worked incredibly hard to improve his pitching techniques.

"Matt is a very determined individual, in school and in baseball," he said.

Kauffman is happy to have played in college. In comparison to his first season in the minor leagues, college baseball seems to have more team spirit. And while Kauffman says he has friends on the Great Falls Dodgers, a competitive air lies between all the players in the dugout and on the field.

"Regardless of what anyone else does, I should be able to pursue excellence without having to depend on someone else," he said.

As far as his immediate goals are concerned, the pitcher hopes to work his way up into the Low Single A Division, based in Wilmington, North Carolina. From there, the progression moves into the High Single A, again located in Vero Beach, and eventually on to the Double A team in Jacksonville, Florida.

From there, the next stop could be the big leagues.

Long before he thought about working through the divisions of the Dodgers, Kauffman's connection to baseball had humble beginnings.

"I just played catch with my dad a lot. My friends played too. Plus I'm slow and not tall, so that ended my basketball dreams," he said with a smile.

He entered his first team, The Naturals (which were named after the popular film), when he was eight years old and remained with them until he was 13. From there, he pitched for George Washington High School.

"It's kind of funny too because I was probably the fifth best player on the team," he said.

While Kauffman feels that San Francisco is not a baseball town due to its cold summers and limited greenery, the Richmond is, in his opinion, the best place to play ball within the city limits. There are plenty of school yards for pitching drills and places such as Golden Gate Park and, his childhood favorite, Mountain Lake Park.

Recently, his coach from George Washington invited him to help the team's pitchers, which got him thinking about the possibility of coaching after his baseball career ends.

As far as the future is concerned, Kauffman is focusing on moving up in the professional system.

"As long as I make progress and my coaches say they like what I'm doing, and if I feel it my heart, then I'll keep going," he said.