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Blue Jays’ new-look bullpen taking shape around Hoffman
Back with the Blue Jays almost exactly 10 years after being selected ninth overall, Jeff Hoffman’s task this time around is to help stabilize a bullpen that was among MLB’s worst a year ago.
DUNEDIN, Fla. – As Jeff Hoffman took the mound at TD Ballpark for his Grapefruit League debut earlier this week, he felt a sense of déjà vu.
“I came to the realization that when I first pitched in pro ball, this is where it was,” he recalled. “So being back was kind of cool.”
As he says, it was here on this mound that Hoffman made the first appearance of his professional career. Almost exactly 10 years ago, the former first-round pick faced a Yankees affiliate featuring future big-leaguers including Tyler Wade, Miguel Andujar and Kyle Higashioka. A decade later, he was back where it all started only this time as a $33 million closer rather than a top starting pitching prospect.
His task now: to help stabilize a bullpen that was among MLB’s worst a year ago and pitch the Blue Jays through some of their highest-leverage moments of the season. His debut outing – a clean inning against the Tigers in which he topped out at 97 m.p.h. on the radar gun – allowed him to continue building comfort as he returns to the organization that once selected him ninth overall.
“It’s going great,” he said. “I’m feeling more comfortable every day being around this staff and the guys. It’s getting to the point now where the comfortability is right where it needs to be. The better that is going into the season, we’re going to be in a better position to win.”
The Blue Jays training facilities have evolved considerably since 2014, when he was first drafted. The entire big-league roster has long since turned over and the staff looks much different, too. Under those circumstances, there have been some adjustments for Hoffman even if he’s intimately familiar with this part of Florida after training in nearby Clearwater with the Phillies in recent years.
“It’s cool to get to use the recovery tools and modalities in the training room, and also picking really smart people’s brains about our game,” he said. “I’ve never played with any of the guys here, so every day I get to have a conversation with a Kevin Gausman or a Jose Berrios or whoever it is and hear new ideas that are brought forward. I do my best to have those conversations and have them frequently, especially this time of year.”
A year ago, the Blue Jays’ bullpen finished last in MLB in Wins Above Replacement (-2.5) and second-last in ERA (4.82). Those dire results led to a makeover featuring Hoffman, Yimi Garcia and Nick Sandlin while the addition of Max Scherzer also bumped Yariel Rodríguez to the bullpen (a pleasant surprise: Rodriguez hit 97.5 m.p.h. while pitching in relief this week).
At the centre of it all was Hoffman, who signed with the Blue Jays after Atlanta and Baltimore backed away due to concerns about his shoulder. Some teams viewed Hoffman as a starter this winter, but the shoulder concerns are perhaps less worrying for a team asking him for an inning or two at a time, and the Blue Jays still benefit from the skills that would have allowed him to start.
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“Hoff is great because he still kind of has a little bit of that starter mentality,” said manager John Schneider. “He’s good with the running game, understands how to pitch. And then you couple that with like really, really good stuff. And that’s where he’s at right now.”
Meanwhile, reliever Erik Swanson was slated to throw a 25-pitch bullpen session Friday morning as he recovers from a medial nerve issue in his right forearm. Swanson’s a little behind other relievers, but determined not to rush things as he works his way back.
Already, he’s thrown a few bullpen sessions while using all of his pitches.
“Everything’s been good getting back off the mound and syncing everything up again,” Swanson said. “The last couple bullpens have been better than expected.”
The right-hander believes he could be back in games within the next 10 days or so, which would give him plenty of time to get the five or six game appearances he needs to get him ready for opening day.
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Regardless, this group appears to be in a much better position than it was a year ago. As ever, more arms will have to emerge beyond Swanson, Chad Green and newcomers like Hoffman. A breakout from someone like Ryan Burr, Tommy Nance, Brendon Little or Zach Pop would go a long way towards turning the bullpen from a problem into a strength.
Determining which way things go will take months, but from Hoffman’s vantage point on the mound at TD Ballpark, he likes what he sees.
“I think we have the makeup of what it takes,” he said. “If we execute the things that we’re good at – be great at what we’re good at – then we’re going to put ourselves in a really good position to win a lot of baseball games.”
