On a random afternoon in late April, the Phillies invited a Triple-A arm named Jeff Hoffman to the ballpark. Hoffman, a 2014 first-round pick who previously pitched for the Rockies and Reds, was summoned to throw batting practice to a rehabbing Bryce Harper.
The Phillies signed Hoffman to a minor league contract after he opted out of his minor league deal with the Minnesota Twins. Hoffman had an early May opt out of his Phillies contract.
The numbers at Triple A were not great. He finished with a 7.00 ERA and seven walks in nine games. Hoffman threw three scoreless outings in his last three games with the IronPigs, but the strike throwing ability was a concern.
Phillies assistant pitching coach Brian Kaplan suggested to bring Hoffman up to pitch to Harper. Not only was it a chance for Harper to face a pitcher with major league experience, but it gave the major league staff a chance to get their eyes on Hoffman ahead of his opt out day.
To Hoffman, that batting practice session was his World Series. It was a chance for the Phillies to look beyond the Triple-A numbers.
“I think batting practice to Bryce, at least the way I have thought about it, I think that helped overlook some of the numbers that I was putting up in Triple A at the time,” Hoffman said before Game 6.
“My stuff has been the same all year. My stuff has been the same since mid-January when I was trying to find a job. I think that when I came up to throw to Bryce, it was, one, for the organization to see me really for the first time because I wasn’t in camp with them, and I didn’t know anybody really besides some of the guys that I played with in the past. But I think me throwing to him on this type of stage in a big league park with everybody’s eyes on, I think that helped overlook a few of the things that maybe weren’t so shiny at the time.”
The Phillies selected Hoffman’s contract on May 4. The move didn’t make waves when it was announced. Hardly anyone took notice when Hoffman was signed to a minor league contract at the very beginning of the season, but the transaction will go down as one of the most important under-the-radar signings in Phillies history.
Hoffman quickly earned the trust of manager Rob Thomson. With an arsenal featuring a high 90s fastball and a splitter and slider that tunnels well, Hoffman pitched to a 2.41 ERA in 54 games for the Phillies in the regular season. The former starting pitcher was frequently used in high-leverage late-game situations and was even the first reliever to be used three days in a row in September.
In the playoffs, Hoffman is Thomson’s trusted option in “dirty innings.” He has stranded five of six inherited runners so far this postseason.
He was used in all three games in Arizona. Thomson will likely try to stay away from using him in Game 6, but he’s available.
Thomson credits Hoffman’s success in dirty innings to his mentality.
“I think there’s a mindset. I’m not sure if there’s a skill,” Thomson said. “I mean, the skill would be swing and miss. I mean, you try to eliminate as much contact as possible as you can. But I think there is a mindset: This doesn’t bother me. I gotta just make pitches. It’s just me against the hitter. All that other stuff around me is noise.”
“I think for me personally the way I am as a competitor, less is more for me,” Hoffman said. “When I’m out on the mound, there’s really not a whole lot of thinking going on.”
Hoffman is an integral part of the Phillies bullpen this year and he will be again next year. He will enter his final season of arbitration-eligibility in 2024. The Phillies will almost certainly offer him a contract, but the team should explore extending their relationship with Hoffman beyond next season.
Extending key relievers was a big part of last year’s offseason for the Phillies. José Alvarado would have been a free agent after this season, but the Phillies instead locked him up for two additional seasons as part of a three-year, $22 million contract. The Phillies also added an extra year of control for Seranthony Domínguez when they signed him to a two-year, $7.25 million deal with a 2025 club option for $8 million.
Phillies Notes
- Thomson told reporters via Zoom on Sunday that Rhys Hoskins (torn left ACL) is scheduled to take batting practice in Clearwater on Monday and Tuesday. He could make the World Series roster. “I think the at-bats have been good,” Thomson said. “I think it’s just a matter of how he is running, how comfortable he is running, how comfortable — you know, getting the doctor’s clearance and also how comfortable our trainers are with him being able to run and not get re-injured.”
- Cristopher Sánchez is available out of the bullpen in Game 6. The Phillies will save Ranger Suárez for a possible Game 7.
- Nick Castellanos spoke about sharing his postseason experience with his son Liam: “It’s beautiful, honestly. It’s an unselfish way to find gratitude about me going about my selfish pursuit of a career of being the best baseball player and winning and doing all that stuff.”
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