Scottsdale, Ariz — Colorado Rockies pitcher Jeff Hoffman did not pitch well on Thursday and to some degree that is to be expected.
Hoffman isn’t especially young at 23-years-old, but Tommy John surgery has robbed him of a fair amount of development time. The young man has yet to pitch above Double-A and so some struggles against Major League lineups seems perfectly reasonable.
“I just didn’t get ahead and that contributed to a lot of the problems today,” said Hoffman. “Usually I’m pretty good at getting ahead and staying ahead of batters, but today it just wasn’t there. It was a constant fight.”
Immediate recognition of the problem is a solid first step but then Hoffman went further in his self-diagnosis, offering some insight into a mechanical adjustment he needed to make: “A few pitches were [the result of] me over-striding. By the time I figured that out, it was too late.”
“Too late” for a game in mid-March, sure. But those kind of adjustments even if they happen on a game-to-game basis, is often what separates good pitchers from great ones. There is no way to spin Hoffman’s line from Thursday into a positive, but failure can be a teaching tool and Hoffman’s post-game interview strongly suggests that is exactly what will happen.
Interestingly, when Patrick Suanders of the Denver Post asked about the potential for high-running emotions after Hoffman had been designated to Minor League camp then was unexpectedly called back up for a spot start, Hoffman provided an unusual answer.
“I don’t think I was too amped,” he said, “If anything I was too calm. I should have let my adrenaline go a little bit. I like to feed off that positive energy. So no, I don’t think I was too amped up at all.”
Typically, that goes the other way especially for young players, but shows that Hoffman gives deep thought into how he can be uniquely successful.
As far as long-term plans, Hoffman has exactly the goal you think.
“A good year would be to get to Denver,” he said. “But right now I have a lot of things I have to get better at, as you saw today.”
It can take a long time to reach the big leagues. Just ask Trevor Story. There is a reason why patience is such a virtue in this game and in the grand scheme, Hoffman is still on the fast track.
“A big part of playing baseball professionally is trusting the process,” he said. “So I got back to work and was fortunate enough to get the callup back for today. I just didn’t get the job done.”
But momentary struggles haven’t dimmed the focus on a bright future.
“If I do what I know how to do,” said Hoffman, “keep the ball over the pate, and get outs, [getting to Denver] won’t be a problem.”
Its easy to look at Jeff Hoffman’s impressive physique, or 97 mph fastball, or knee-breaking 12-6 curveball and see those as his primary tools for success. But his ability to analyze and improve himself will be just as pivotal. The power of the fastball is nice, the power of the mind is the key to greatness.
