Trevor Hoffman (1967- ) is a legendary relief pitcher, most famously for the San Diego Padres, who dramatically reinvented his career on two occasions to become one of the greatest closers in baseball history. At the time of this writing, Hoffman holds the all-time major league record for most saves in a career, at an astounding 554, and also ranks first among all active players in career save percentage, at .892.
Failed Draft Pick
The younger brother of former major league infielder and manager Glenn Hoffman, Trevor Hoffman was first drafted out of the University of Arizona as a shortstop by the Cincinnati Reds in 1988. When he was unable to hit enough in the minor leagues even to meet the lower expectations of a shortstop, coaches in the Reds organization suggested he try pitching in a last-ditch attempt to salvage his career.
To everyone's surprise, Hoffman quickly took to the new position, wowing coaches with his mid-90s fastball and his ability to repeat his delivery consistently. By fall of 1992, he had already become a good enough pitcher to be drafted in the expansion draft by the newly established Florida Marlins and a few months later became the centerpiece of a five player deal with the Padres that sent Gary Sheffield to Florida.
Early Success and Setback
Hoffman quickly established himself as a relief ace for the Friars after a mid-season call-up in 1993, and took over as the full time closer the following year, saving 20 games before the players' strike prematurely ended the 1994 campaign.
On the very first day of the strike, Hoffman was playing a game of touch football on a San Diego beach when he made a diving catch and heard an ominous sound in his shoulder he later described as "like all the air going out of a tire." Although no major injury would show up on any scans, the next time he tried to throw a baseball it was in the low 80s, and he would throw in the mid-90s never again.
Second Reinvention
Not surprisingly, 1995 was Hoffman's worst full year in his career, as he posted a 3.88 ERA. Over the course of the season, however, he reinvented himself as a pitcher, transforming himself from a guy who had relied on power and speed to a finesse pitcher who nibbled at the edges and kept hitters off balance by changing speeds.
The secret of this reinvention was Hoffman's success at developing a devastating changeup, based on an unusual grip he learned from former Padres pitcher Donnie Elliott, wherein he would pinch a seam of the ball with his index finger and thumb. Hoffman's ability to throw this pitch at any time, a full 10 mph slower than his fastball, with pinpoint accuracy and absolutely no discernible difference in his delivery, would make him one of the most dominant relievers of all time, and put him on a path to the Hall of Fame.
Total Domination
Other than 2003, when he missed time due to injury, Hoffman posted at least 30 saves in every single season he pitched thereafter, went to 6 All-Star Games, finished second in Cy Young Award balloting twice and was in the top ten for MVP on five occasions. In his greatest season in 1998, he set career bests of 53 saves and a minuscule 1.48 ERA and played a crucial role in leading the Padres to their only World Series appearance during his tenure with the team.
During this period, Hoffman became a beloved San Diego icon and gained particular notoriety for the fact that every time he made an appearance in his home park, the opening of the AC/DC song "Hells Bells" would boom over the public address system, and Hoffman, face set in unsmiling and grim determination, would slowly walk in from the bullpen (unlike the usual quick trot of other relievers), the ominous tolling of churchbells signaling clearly to all that the other team's fate had already been sealed as soon as his name was announced.
Milestones and Legacy
On May 6, 2005, Hoffman recorded his 400th career save against the St. Louis Cardinals, becoming only the third person to ever reach that milestone, and on September 24, 2006, he saved a 2-1 nailbiter against the Pittsburg Pirates to record his 479th career save and pass Lee Smith for first all-time.
The milestones continued in 2007 as Hoffman pitched in his 803rd game for the Padres on April 29, breaking the all-time major league record for games pitched for a single team, previously shared by Walter Johnson and Elroy Face, and on June 6 he recorded his 500th career save, becoming the first (and so far only) person to achieve that mark.
Although closers have historically had a difficult time making it into the Hall of Fame, Hoffman's incredible dominance and consistency and his array of all time records make him a mortal lock for enshrinement someday in the near future.
Trevor Hoffman's Career MLB Statistics:
Year Ag Tm Lg W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H R ER HR BB SO HBP WP BF IBB BK ERA lgERA ERA+
+--------------+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+------+----+----+----+---+----+----+---+---+-----+---+---+-----+-----+----+
1993 25 TOT NL 4 6 67 0 0 0 5 90.0 80 43 39 10 39 79 1 5 391 13 0 3.90 4.19 107
FLA NL 2 2 28 0 0 0 2 35.7 24 13 13 5 19 26 0 3 152 7 0 3.28 4.29 131
SDP NL 2 4 39 0 0 0 3 54.3 56 30 26 5 20 53 1 2 239 6 0 4.31 4.13 96
1994 26 SDP NL 4 4 47 0 0 0 20 56.0 39 16 16 4 20 68 0 3 225 6 0 2.57 4.13 161
1995 27 SDP NL 7 4 55 0 0 0 31 53.3 48 25 23 10 14 52 0 1 218 3 0 3.88 4.06 105
1996 28 SDP NL 9 5 70 0 0 0 42 88.0 50 23 22 6 31 111 2 2 348 5 0 2.25 4.01 178
1997 29 SDP NL 6 4 70 0 0 0 37 81.3 59 25 24 9 24 111 0 7 322 4 0 2.66 3.91 147
1998 30 SDP NL 4 2 66 0 0 0 53 73.0 41 12 12 2 21 86 1 8 274 2 0 1.48 3.90 263
1999 31 SDP NL 2 3 64 0 0 0 40 67.3 48 23 16 5 15 73 0 4 263 2 0 2.14 4.20 196
2000 32 SDP NL 4 7 70 0 0 0 43 72.3 61 29 24 7 11 85 0 4 291 4 0 2.99 4.27 143
2001 33 SDP NL 3 4 62 0 0 0 43 60.3 48 25 23 10 21 63 1 3 248 2 0 3.43 4.01 117
2002 34 SDP NL 2 5 61 0 0 0 38 59.3 52 20 18 2 18 69 1 3 245 2 0 2.73 3.74 137
2003 35 SDP NL 0 0 9 0 0 0 0 9.0 7 2 2 1 3 11 0 0 36 0 0 2.00 3.94 197
2004 36 SDP NL 3 3 55 0 0 0 41 54.7 42 14 14 5 8 53 0 2 209 1 0 2.30 3.88 168
2005 37 SDP NL 1 6 60 0 0 0 43 57.7 52 23 19 3 12 54 1 1 240 1 0 2.97 3.85 130
2006 38 SDP NL 0 2 65 0 0 0 46 63.0 48 16 15 6 13 50 1 2 248 1 0 2.14 4.04 189
2007 39 SDP NL 4 5 61 0 0 0 42 57.3 49 21 19 2 15 44 0 0 235 5 0 2.98 4.04 135
2008 40 SDP NL 3 6 48 0 0 0 30 45.3 38 19 19 8 9 46 0 0 180 2 0 3.77 3.82 101
+--------------+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+------+----+----+----+---+----+----+---+---+-----+---+---+-----+-----+----+
Totals 56 66 930 0 0 0 554 988.0 336 762 305 90 274 1055 8 45 3973 53 0 2.78 4.01 144