The 2007 Colorado Rockies captured the attention of the sports world.
Me, a very casual baseball fan, remembers first baseman Todd Helton triumphantly fist pumping when the team won the National League pennant over the Arizona Diamondbacks.
One of the other main contributors on that team was outfielder Brad Hawpe.
Hawpe sprung onto the baseball scene as a member of LSU's College World Series championship team in 2000. He later enjoyed success in a long Major League Baseball career.
Now that Hawpe has been retired for some time, what has he been up to?
Brad Hawpe's Baseball Career
No. 10: 2000 @LSUbaseball (52-17; @NCAACWS Champs)
"MVP Trey Hodges had 4 shutout innings of relief to get the W in the clincher & ended w/ a 1.69 ERA in 10.2 frames over 3 games. Future pros Mike Fontenot, Brad Hawpe & @rtheriot7 also showed up big."
> https://t.co/RR5EZh8ZbB pic.twitter.com/1JmcRqt9mj
— D1Baseball (@d1baseball) June 18, 2020
RELATED: What Happened to Brad Cresse After LSU's 2000 CWS Title?
Hawpe graduated from Boswell High School in Forth Worth, Texas. On the baseball team, he pitched and played first base.
The baseball player was selected by the Toronto Blue Jays in the 46th round of the 1997 MLB Draft, but he declined in favor of attending LSU.
Down in Baton Rouge, Hawpe was one of the best players in college baseball. He had a solid glove and excelled as a hitter. In LSU's 2000 National Championship season, Hawpe hit .362, crushed 12 home runs and posted 84 RBIs.
The ultimate glory of the 2000 CWS belongs to another Brad, Brad Cresse, but Mr. Hawpe was a vital piece of the team.
He re-entered the MLB Draft that same year, where he was selected by the Colorado Rockies in the 11th round. Hawpe progressed through the minor leagues from rookie ball to Triple A and made his big league debut in 2004. Once in the majors, he became a right fielder.
He's mainly known for his time at Coors Field in Denver, and rightfully so, as he was a National League All-Star in 2009. He also played for the Tampa Bay Rays, San Diego Padres and Los Angeles Angels.
No matter who Hawpe stepped in the box against, whether it was the Los Angeles Dodgers, Boston Red Sox, Philadelphia Phillies or Texas Rangers, he was a tough out. For his career, Hawpe boasted a batting average of .275, 124 home runs and had 492 RBIs, per MLB.com.
He retired in 2013, but what has he been up to since then?
Brad Hawpe Now
Happy 42nd birthday to former @Rockies OF Brad Hawpe! pic.twitter.com/1JfPMHxaxg
— Purple Row (@PurpleRow) June 22, 2021
Good to have former big leaguer Brad Hawpe show up to the alumni game pic.twitter.com/vXzDitJdAM
— CoachHooker (@CoachHooker01) February 9, 2020
Since hanging up the cleats, Hawpe has had a hand in multiple business ventures.
He started a sports health business called The FUEL Nutrition that prepares and markets health-food supplements. He worked in the industry for five years.
The former MLB player also founded Cooperstown Cages, a youth baseball facility in his hometown of Forth Worth. He's a coach for the facility's team, the Cooperstown Cobras. When he's not coaching, Hawpe is involved in real estate development in the Dallas-Fort Worth area and partners a ranch in the panhandle of Texas with old Rockies teammates Matt Belisle and Todd Helton.
According to SABR.org, he also stays busy as a dad. He and his wife, Kim, have two kids together: daughter Avery and son Drake. He's also been a coach for their youth baseball and softball teams.
Hawpe was a low-key and successful guy on the baseball diamond. Things haven't changed since he left.
