TRAILBLAZER OF THE YEAR CORY HAHN, DIAMONDBACKS

D-backs executive Cory Hahn inspires those with spinal cord injuries to accept failure, but never give up’

- COLE BRADLEY

Cory Hahn still catches himself wondering about what could’ve been. He can’t help it. And who can blame him?

Had he not suffered a C-5 spinal cord injury sliding headfirst into second base in just his third game as a freshman at Arizona State in 2011, paralyzing him from the chest down, cutting his promising playing career far too short and changing his life forever, things would likely look a lot different.

There’s little doubt among those who witnessed Hahn play that he had major league potential.

The signs were there when Hahn starred alongside Bryce Harper, Manny Machado and other major leaguers with USA Baseball’s 18U National Team in 2009, same as they were throughout his time at Mater Dei High in Santa Ana, Calif.

“There are times I still think I should be on the field,” Hahn said. “That has been the biggest hurdle for me to understand, but also it’s OK to still feel that way. That’s probably the biggest difference and the hardest challenge at times.

“I think what brings me back to level ground is just knowing that I may not be able to play the game, but I’m doing the next best thing. I can make an impact.”