Lefferts was born in West Germany, one of five children of Ed, a United States Air Force officer, and Bobbie Lefferts. Lefferts moved to Sacramento, Japan, Topeka, Cape Cod and San Diego before the family settled in the Tampa Bay area. As a child, Lefferts suffered from asthma, was prone to attacks and his parents did not let him play baseball until he was 12 years old.
