[Larkin anchored the Reds' infield for the better part of 19 seasons, winning the National League MVP award in 1995. That was too much competition for Hoffman, who only had his father to blame for the predicament. When Hoffman reached high school, his father had forced him off the mound, hoping that it would save some bullets for his right arm. By the time Hoffman got to the minors, however, his career as a position player had stalled.] I couldn't hit a slider and I was having a hard time throwing it to first base without putting it in the stands or throwing it in the dugout, ... The writing was on the wall that I wasn't going to make it higher than A-ball as an infielder.
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