“I am so proud to be inducted into the Sacramento Sports Hall of Fame. It’s an amazing honor to be included with so many great athletes from our area. I’m honored and it’s something I don’t take for granted.”
Geoff Jenkins
Major League Baseball
High School: Rancho Cordova
College: USC
* MLB Career: 11 Years ( Milwaukee, Philadelphia)
* MLB All-Star Selection (2003)
* World Series Champion (2008)
* .275 Career Batting Average
* 221 Career Home Runs
Geoff was born in Olympia, Washington but his family moved to Sacramento when he was four years old. His fondest memories growing up were playing wiffle ball with his older brother, Brett. Being four years younger, he wanted to follow in his big brother’s footsteps and be an athlete.
Geoff played a variety of sports growing up including; soccer, basketball, wrestling, football and baseball. Playing multiple sports started at Mitchell Junior High, but when he went to Cordova High School he started concentrating on baseball. Playing for legendary coach, Guy Anderson, the Lancers had one of the best programs in the area and Geoff was one of the best players. In 1991 and 1992, he was named Sacramento Section Player of the Year and selected to the California
All- State team. He was named State Player of the Year his senior season.
As good as Geoff was in high school, he was even better in college. He accepted a scholarship to USC, just like his brother did before him. Geoff didn’t waste any time making a national name for himself, as he was an All-American his freshmen year. His career at USC was phenomenal and he is known as being one of the best college players of all time. In his time as a Trojan, he put up incredible numbers. In his final season, he batted .399 with 78 RBI’s and a .748 slugging percentage. He also scored 75 runs to tie the school record held by Rich Dauer and Mark McGwire. His 23 home runs and 193 total bases ranked second in USC history behind McGwire's. He led the Trojans to the College World Series, where they reached the championship game. Geoff was named to the All-College World Series team, and earned team co-MVP honors. He was named a consensus All-American and was part of the All-Decade team for the 1990s. Geoff finished his USC career with 45 home runs, a .369 batting average and school records for RBI’s and total bases.
In 1994, Geoff represented his country by playing for Team USA. The next year, he was drafted in the first round of the Major League Baseball Draft. He was the ninth overall selection by the Milwaukee Brewers. After being called up from the minors, he got his first big league opportunity close to home as the Brewers were playing the San Francisco Giants. His first major league game was at Candlestick Park where he faced Orel Hershiser. Geoff singled in his very first at-bat, and later in that game, he launched his first career home run in front of plenty of family and friends.
Geoff spent 10 years with Milwaukee and was one of the few players that spent nearly his entire career with the same team. He was one of four Sacramento players that played with the Brewers organization in the decade of the 90’s. In 2007, the Brewers were re-tooling their roster but Geoff wasn’t finished playing. He signed with the Philadelphia Phillies as a free agent and it turned out to be one of the best seasons of his career. The Phillies won the National League East Division and then opened the playoffs against Geoff’s old team. The Phillies defeated the Brewers in the National League Division Series and then beat the Dodgers in the National League Championship Series. The Phillies faced the Tampa Bay Devil Rays in the World Series and Geoff played a big role in the clinching Game 5. With the scored tied 2-2, Geoff led off the sixth inning in dramatic fashion. He doubled off the wall, igniting the rally. It was his game winning run that enabled the Phillies to become World Series Champions.
Geoff retired in style: winning a World Series ring and culminated a fantastic 11 year career in which he hit 221 home runs with 733 RBI’s and a career batting average of .275. He was a National League All-Star in 2003 and Geoff is remembered as one of the most beloved Brewers of all time. He is fourth on the all-time home run list in Milwaukee Brewers franchise history.
He is one of the most accomplished players from our area and has excelled at every level. He will always be known for his sweet swing and his fun loving personality. Beyond his amazing statistics, he is a tremendous representative of our community. His love of the game was apparent at an early age and continued throughout his professional career. Geoff was a fantastic teammate and loved by legions of fans in Milwaukee and everywhere he played. He is one of the most extraordinary talented players from Sacramento while performing at the highest level with class
and dignity.