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Age: 31
2024 Stats: 68 G, 66.1 IP, 48 H (6 HR), 89 K, 16 BB, 2.17 ERA
Why He’s Underrated
Jeff Hoffman was an All-Star this past year, so it’s not as if he’s some kind of mystery man.
All the same, it’s worth acknowledging just how terrific the righty has been over the last two seasons. We’re talking a 2.28 ERA and a 33.4 strikeout percentage, figures that rank sixth and eighth among right-handed relievers.
Hoffman is this good precisely because he has two pitches that hitters just can’t hit. One is an upper-90s fastball against which hitters batted .198 in 2024. He also has a slider that has limited hitters to a .136 average over the last two seasons.
The catch with Hoffman is that he comes with a platoon split. Lefties have a substantially higher OPS (.677) against him over the last two seasons than righties (.454).
However, this is only so damning as a mark of shame. Even if Hoffman’s best role is as a righty specialist, that most batters are right-handed means such guys will always have work.