Freed from the pitching graveyard known as Coors Field, Jeff Hoffman is finally getting his chance to find success with the Cincinnati Reds.
On Wednesday, the Cincinnati Reds and Colorado Rockies made a minor trade. A pair of former top prospects were swapped, with Jeff Hoffman heading to the Reds, along with Case Williams, for Robert Stephenson and Jameson Hannah. Hoffman and Stephenson were both once top pitching prospects, only to have their careers sputter at the major league level.
This may be the chance that Hoffman has needed. He was once the headliner in the package of prospects the Rockies received from Troy Tulowitzki, a potential top of the rotation arm that Colorado could build around.
Instead, Hoffman has faltered in the majors. He has spent parts of the last five seasons in Colorado as both a starter and a reliever. The results have not been pretty regardless of his role, as Hoffman possesses a lifetime 6.40 ERA and a 1.621 WHiP, striking out 197 batters with 107 walks in his 230.2 innings.
Although those numbers are ugly, there is reason to hope that Hoffman can turn everything around with a change of scenery. His fastball not only has one of the highest spin rates in the majors, but also has elite velocity. Hoffman’s curve also has an above average spin rate, and has flashed the potential to be a devastating second offering.
If any team can get Hoffman to tap into his potential, it may be the Reds. They had hired the founder of Driveline Baseball, Kyle Boddy, as their pitching coordinator. Cincinnati has also begun to target pitchers with a high spin rate, looking to get the most out of those arms. They certainly worked wonders with Trevor Bauer, who was an early client of Boddy’s.
It will be interesting to see how the Reds look to utilize Hoffman. That fastball/curve mix could make him a potentially lethal arm in the bullpen. However, if he can find a viable third offering, and Boddy and the Reds can work their magic, there is still the chance that Hoffman can become that starter that the Rockies envisioned when they acquired him back in 2015.
Jeff Hoffman is getting another lease on life. The Cincinnati Reds may be the perfect landing spot.