Jeff Hoffman One of the most sought-after relievers in this offseason’s free agent class Philadelphia Philliesbut it took an incredible career change to get him here.
Heading into the 2023 season, the former No. 9 overall pick failed to make the cut. Minnesota Twins‘ Opening Day roster and became a free agent. He had just 0.9 career WAR at that point — and 0.0 over his last five seasons. But he held on to a minor league deal with the Phillies and went on a two-year tear after joining the major league roster in May 2023, posting 3.5 WAR. Ranked fifth among relievers in this period. Now, he is ready Cash After rediscovering what made him a high draft pick in the first place.
As the 31-year-old right-hander prepares for his offseason salary, there are many questions: How did he make the transition, if he wants to return? Starting pitcherif the vibes in Philly are strong enough to force him to return and what his priorities are in finding a new club.
I caught up with Hoffman as he chooses his next home (or decides to stay in his current home).
How Hoffman changed it.
To understand how Hoffman reinvented himself in Philadelphia, you must first understand where things started to go wrong. Hoffman went from a top prospect to a struggling young pitcher. Colorado Rockies And Cincinnati Reds.
After being elected by Toronto Blue Jays In the 2014 draft while recovering from Tommy John surgery, he made 13 minor league starts the following season before being dealt to Colorado in the Troy Tulowitzki trade. Hoffman made the big leagues in 2016 with the Rockies and posted a solid 1.1 WAR campaign in 2017, primarily as a starter (99⅓ innings, 4.76 ERA). After that, though, he was either injured or ineffective, including two seasons with the Reds and spring training with the Twins. Hoffman doesn’t mince words on what held him back early in his professional career, pointing to the direction he was given and his effort to integrate it all.
“I was fed a lot of mechanical bull—in my early years, coaches were trying to make their mark,” Hoffman said. “[Mechanics] It was like a ball and chain that I was tied to. If I had picked and chosen that thing, I wouldn’t have wasted the first few years of my career. … I’m a learner, I’m a listener, I take a lot of mechanical cues, try to please and respect whoever’s giving the information.”
Still, Hoffman believes the gradual accumulation of new parts of his game ultimately helped transform him into an All-Star. He just needed to fix what he picked up along the way and learn to pitch without too many intrusive thoughts (and outside voices) in his head.
“When I stopped thinking, ‘Where’s next for me?’ or ‘When is my heel on the ground?’ And all that BS, I was able to improve my bow, my speed improved and I’m not necessarily trying to throw hard anymore, it’s just coming out that way,” he said. “My body is moving the way I want to move.”
The pitch mix that figures to earn him an eight-figure contract this winter stems from things he implemented during his tumultuous times in Colorado and Cincinnati.
“In Colorado, I introduced a splitter. It wasn’t a real splitter, more of a splitter changeup. It wasn’t coming out as hard, I didn’t throw it as hard as I should have,” Hoffman said. said “I always threw a curveball. I always connected with it. I didn’t mess around with the slider too much, then Cincinnati brought me a slider, tried to get Velo up. I hit it for 86. Couldn’t deliver. To match the 88 mph splitter, I was really struggling with… ‘If I’m throwing my fastball 95 mph, why can’t I do that?’
How Hoffman Dominates
If the Twins had taken a little more time to see what they had, Hoffman’s breakout might have come in Minnesota instead of Philadelphia. He points to this spring with Minnesota when he first felt like the same pitcher that impressed scouts as a draft prospect.
“That was the beginning of my delivery looking like it was in college. My stuff was coming out better and more explosive, ugly swings again, good positives.
“If you look at me now vs. Cape Cod and early in my career … I look a lot more similar to my college career than I did in Cincinnati and Colorado. The things that were given to me. “
When considering why free agent Jeff Hoffman is getting attention as a starter, I dug out my old scouting notes/video for this dandy from the cap on July 17, 2013.
7.2 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 11 K
He was sitting 93-97 mph with life, dropping hammers and mixing in a few changeups. pic.twitter.com/dJPWK5BMxN
— Kelly McDaniel (@kileymcd) November 20, 2024
Hoffman’s stuff was so messy during his time in the prospect-rich Cape Cod League that watching him pitch there in 2013 is one of the most impressive amateur starts I’ve ever scouted.
But there is one area where Hoffman clearly surpasses this early version of himself. He has the Twins to thank for unlocking the velocity that has made the slider his signature pitch.
“Pete Maki [Twins pitching coach in 2023] Said let’s try a cutter. Throw it like a fastball then swing to the left at the end. It was terrible but it was 89 mph in a bullpen session. ‘Oh s—, it works!’ It was just a chase to repeat Velo, even if I gave up a home run, throw it at 89 mph and call it a slider. Day in and day out, chasing it … sometimes it just takes a mental cue, and you’re behind the ball instead of next to it. [at release]”
Armed with a mid-90s fastball and an upper-80s slider that split when he joined the Phillies’ bullpen, Hoffman was ready to take off.
“The fastball, the slider, the split all feel the same with my hand, just the grip changes,” Hoffman said. “They all come out like I’m throwing 100. [mph] Down the middle and take care of grip and spin. The power to which the fingers are the key.”
He thinks of his weapons as four fastballs that all move in different directions. “My splitter is gone. [an] An off-speed pitch, this is just a different version of my fastball. My sinker is a bowling ball type fastball, the slider is one that goes left. I view my distribution as a split-finger fastball and not a forkball, which is important. … It helps me keep a high velo-floor on everything.”
Hoffman had a worse-than-average walk rate until landing with the Phillies. This, too, was more a problem of perspective than physical. “There are command pitchers and equipment pitchers, don’t ask one for the other.”
“Like golf, aim for center so you can miss a little to the right or left,” Hoffman said. “I don’t think I’m a command pitcher but I’m not bad at throwing strikes. I’ll beat you because it’s very difficult for a hitter to make a decision.”
You might not expect a fire-breathing reliever with late-inning, swing-and-miss stuff to focus on throwing the ball into the strike zone, but that’s key to how Hoffman strikes.
“I think the hitter is defensive about what I’m doing, not trying to make the perfect pitch. It’s a game of swing decisions and I want to put pressure on those decisions. I can swing at the plate because they know that.” I’m challenging them and getting in the zone.
Hoffman doesn’t look at a ton of dense information after the game, instead he measures himself by three metrics: in-zone miss rate, zone rate, and barrel rate. “I like to keep it at 88 mph and under. If I start to drop 95 plus. [mph exit velo batted balls]it just needs the right speed and can hit it out of the park. At the end of the game, you can’t give it up. Starters are told that a solo home run won’t kill you. As a reliever, a solo home run kills you.
“What I’ve taken from all the stats, the video, the studies, and the Edgertronic video is that the way the ball leaves your hand helps you understand the way the pitches are moving. Why do. It makes it easier to make adjustments and it’s an adjustment game. You don’t necessarily have your best stuff every night, but it needs to work.”
Starter or reliever?
While Hoffman tops the list of relievers in this winter’s class, there is growing industry buzz that teams are targeting him as a starter — should he be interested in signing on for a new role. keeps
“I think if given the opportunity again, I’d be off to a great start,” Hoffman said. “It’s good to see [Reynaldo Lopez and Jordan Hicks] What last year and, for me, how healthy I am and what I’ve done with my arsenal over the last few years, it’s an interesting idea. … It makes sense that guys with deeper arms than most relievers have had success.”
Hoffman understands that returning to a major league rotation for the first time since Colorado moved him to the bullpen following the 2019 season will be a unique test. He also knows that he has an unparalleled sense of pitching in high-pressure, high-leverage situations that he has developed over the past two seasons.
“Until it is brought back [by interested teams]I assumed the ship had sailed. … It will be completely different from the first go round. I feel like I’m 24 again. … I care about the way I’m going now. i see [starting] as a great challenge. I am as healthy as I have ever been. I would welcome the opportunity. … I like getting out of the bullpen and late in games as well.”
He’s open to a new career path, but he’s also pretty happy with who he’s become.
“All things being equal, I want to get last.”
What Hoffman wants this winter.
Hoffman has to weigh more than signing as a starting pitcher or as a reliever this winter.
During his time in Philadelphia, he became accustomed to pitching in the biggest venues in front of one of the most passionate fan bases in the game, for one of the best teams in baseball. Those factors make a Phillies comeback a strong possibility.
“It’s hard to even explain what pitching in Philly feels like, because of the noise, how consistent it is with the game. [the fans] are, it feels like the field surface is alive,” he said. “When the big moments happen, you can hear it from the ground, like you have a heartbeat in the stadium.”
If Hoffman leaves the Phillies for a new team, he will look for an organization with similar priorities.
“The most important thing for me is as a contender, to play until October,” he said. “Playing meaningful baseball, it makes the clubhouse more enjoyable when everyone is playing for the same thing. That’s what I want from my next situation.”