Hells Bells - With the early stages of baseball's Spring Training underway as pitchers and catchers begin reporting to camp, one hurler who won't be taking part in the festivities for the first time in nearly 20 years is the recently retired Trevor Hoffman. Having solidified himself as one of the best closers the game of baseball has ever seen, the 43 year old reliever decided it was finally time to hang up his cleats. After 18-years in the big leagues, the highly touted right-hander set the bar for closers, logging a total of 601 saves making him baseball's all-time career saves leader. Better known as the longtime ninth inning specialist for the San Diego Padres where he would set numerous Major League and franchise records, the California native also served time with the Florida Marlins whom he was drafted by, and the Milwaukee Brewers where he spent the final two years of his prestigious career.
The 7-time All-Star recently announced his retirement late last month after becoming the first and only player in Major League history to reach the 600 save plateau in September of last season. After a lackluster season productively in which he struggled and was demoted to a set-up role, the 2-time NL Rolaids Relief Man of the Year still managed to compile 10 saves, improving his all-time saves mark to 601 where it stands today. Helping him dominate at his position for so many years, was the devastating changeup he added to his repertoire once his fastball velocity began decreasing after undergoing surgery. In 1998, Hoffman recorded career bests in both Saves (53) and ERA (1.48), creating quite an argument for the highly coveted Cy Young Award as well as MVP honors. However, he fell short of bringing home either piece of hardware, finishing seventh in MVP voting and runner up for the Cy Young.
Despite the long list of milestones he achieved, Hoffman, a converted infielder, saw limited success in the postseason, making a lone trip to the World Series in 1998 where he blew a 3-2 lead in the 9th inning upon getting swept by the eventual world champion New York Yankees. Given he played a majority of his career with a mediocre Padres squad, his impressive body of work both on and off the field made up for it. Receiving high praise from his teammates as well as his managers for his leadership skills, Hoffman's unmatched work ethic made him a fan favorite among players and organizations alike. The younger brother of a former big league shortstop, Hoffman's high leg kick and his traditional 'Hells Bells' introduction music by AC/DC became just as synonymous as Southern California's warm weather.
Second to none in San Diego, unless you're Tony Gwynn of coarse who won fans over by way of hitting the ball instead of throwing it, Hoffman was in many ways the face of the Padres ball club. And just like the great Gwynn who was awarded a statue outside of Petco Park, don't be surprised if San Diego plans to honor Hoffman with a statue of his own in the near future. Although his days as baseball's all-time saves leader are limited with Yankees closer Mariano Rivera most likely to surpass Hoffman's 601 mark in the next year or two, Hoffman will still be the NL's all-time saves leader. Though he might not be looking forward to the day his record is broken, one occasion that will be circled on his calendar is when he'll be Hall of Fame eligible in 2016. While voters remain unkind to relievers when it comes time to vote, in my eyes the guy is a first ballot candidate.
A story of my own - Although he never played for my team and was actually a member of one of the Giants division rivals, I always respected Hoffman's body of work and became an instant fan of his when I learned firsthand just how humble he was, regardless of being one of the games bigger names. While on vacation with some friends in Colorado, I managed to make it to a Rockies-Padres game in Denver's Coors Field and witnessed the players taking batting practice and warming up before the game. Lo and behold was Trevor Hoffman stretching in left field. Even though I stood there wearing the hat of a rival team, Hoffman was kind enough to sign my ball, creating one of my all-time favorite moments while at a sporting event.
No comments:
Post a Comment