Is Trevor Hoffman a first ballot Hall of Famer? The Padres reliever has 524 saves in 15 seasons, and a 2.79?

Question

ERA with a little over 1,000 strikeouts. Hoffman is still going strong at age 40, and probably will pitch another 2 or 3 seasons and try to get to 600 saves. He should make it in, you agree?



http://www.baseball-reference.com/h/hoffmtr01.shtml

Oh yeah, he has the most career saves.

Answer 1

Hoffman is a future Hall Of Famer (his name is a giveaway -- HOFfman). "First ballot" is something I don't find interesting, but combining his sterling, enduring career performances with increased attention to great relievers in recent years, conditions will be favorable for the voters to acknowledge him with negligible delay.

Of course he has to retire first.

Answer 2

I am a Padres fan, but I do not think he will get in on the first ballot. The only reliever I can think of with a chance at being a first ballot hall of famer is Marino Rivera. Rivera is not only a dominant reliever, he has also had key performances during the post season that Hoffman lacks. If I were a voting member that is the comparison I would have to make.

Answer 3

All-time save leader and he's god knows how old, so there's a consistency factor that (aside from Mariano) most closers dont come close to. Most closers are good for like 2 or 3 years and then something catastrophic happens and they can't recover (Brad Lidge, Gagne). To me, Hoffman's longevity will get him in.

Will he make it on the first ballot? It depends on who retires with him, if there are legit hitters and starting pitchers with him, it'll be tough.

Answer 4

Yeah, I would say Trevor Hoffman is a first ballot Hall of Famer. But he is no Mariano Rivera.

Answer 5

Rivera is the greater desirable reliever so if everybody is going in on the 1st pollit is frequently him, purchase why is being inducted on the 1st pollconsiderable? Its the undeniable fact that they get wherein ability something. i don't view Trevor Hoffman as a nationally well-known call like I do Rivera.

Answer 6

Maybe, but he needs to have enough votes to get into the hall of fame on the first ballot. Plus a lot of former players have been waiting a long time to even get into hte Hall of Fame, and may never get into the Hall of Fame.

Answer 7

He hasnt slowed down much. Its entirely possible for him to become the first man to record 600 saves. I'd like to see it. He saved 42 last season; so two more seasons of 38 saves gets it done.

Answer 8

Does 500 saves guarantee enshrinement into baseball's Hall of Fame? These days I don't think anything guarantees enshrinement. 4,256 hits weren't enough for Pete Rose. 583 home runs has kept Mark McGwire out. I understand McGwire, but gambling didn't change the results of Rose's on field performance. So Trevor Hoffman is a lock. So is Mariano Rivera. How can those two get in while guys like Lee Smith and Goose Gossage are on the outside looking in? Numbers and stats mean nothing with it comes to closers. The rules of what constitutes a save have changed, and the specialty roles that have been created today further diminish the role. How can you talk about the all time leader in blocked shots when the NBA only recently began keeping that stat? How can you magnify 500 saves, when back in the mid-70's a save consisted of coming in with the tying run on base or at the plate? In a comparison of era's using the criteria for saves in 1974, Mariano Rivera would have been credited with "only" 18 saves in 2005, not the 43 he recorded. In 1974 Terry Forster led all relievers with 24 saves.

The save is over hyped. Relievers are prissy-one inning-specialist. Like a long snapper in football, but even less important to their team. How do you figure? Most managers put their closer in to start the 9th inning, and to be credited with a save you have to save the win holding on to a lead of no more than 3 runs. Numbers show that entering the 9th inning with a 2 run lead you win 93% of the time, with a 3 run lead 97% of the time. So what are these specialist being used for? Rollie Fingers and Bruce Sutter, two relievers that are HOF'ers, have entered games in the 9th inning with a 3 run lead 11 and 16 times respectively. Hoffman? An astounding 108 times!

Relievers were often called upon in the 7th or 8th innings to get a team out of a jam and then close the door. Goose Gossage often pitched 2 innings and sometimes 3. Their chances of blowing saves increase dramatically. Hoffman and Rivera have a combined -COMBINED- 6 blown saves when entering the game before the 9th inning. Fingers, Gossage and Sutter blew over two-thirds of their saves before the 9th inning.

Need one more reason why Hoffman isn't a Hall of Famer, at least not before the Goose get in? Look at this stat, Fingers, Sutter and Dennis Eckersly, currently the three relievers in the hall have a combined one blown save when entering the game with a three run lead. Throw in Lee Smith and Goose Gossage and the five relievers have combined to blow two saves with a three run lead. Rivera by himself has blown two saves. And Hoffman? Seven! Seven blown saves with a three run lead. So much for the lights out Hell's Bells closer.

I'm not saying that Hoffman and Rivera are bad pitchers. They have withstood time, and by definition of their roles, they have arguably dominated the closer position over the last decade. Rivera with postseason credentials, and Hoffman for his longevity are definitely worth arguing, however, if the Goose isn't in then neither should these two.

Answer 9

He sure is, although we came through short, he gave it his all, and I still think that he has more great years to come. He is an all time saver for a pitcher, and he is an amazing player. He knows how to play the game, and he does an amazing job at it.

Answer 10

Relievers some times have a little trouble getting in, so it may depend on who the competition is. However, he'll get in sooner rather than latter.