The Colorado Rockies starting rotation took a blow when they lost presumed ace Jon Gray to a broken foot. With Gray out of commission, it’s another opportunity for one of the Rockies’ promising prospects to get a taste of the big leagues.
As I wrote last week, there are four primary arms the Rockies could opt to use in light of Gray’s injury, with one of them being top prospect Jeff Hoffman. That said, when the time comes for the Rockies to make a decision Hoffman should not be the guy to get the nod.
There are a few reasons, with the biggest being that he is simply not ready to pitch at the Major League level. Now, Hoffman’s outlook still holds a lot of potential for the future, but for the time being, his efforts would be best utilized in Triple-A.
There are still too many flaws in Hoffman’s repertoire for him to establish a level of sustained success as a pitcher at the Major League level. At this point, the best thing for Hoffman is time. Time to further develop his arsenal, mature as a pitcher, and fine tune himself for the next level of baseball.
“Jeff needs innings, man,” manager Bud Black said. “He needs innings just to have a consistent outing from first pitch to last because he’s capable [of that]. He’s got big league stuff.”
Last season, Hoffman got his first taste of the big leagues. In his eight appearances, Hoffman was roughed up, compiling a record of 0-4 with an ERA of 4.88. At times, Hoffman managed to string together a few solid innings, but in an overall outlook, it was very clear that he still needed a fair amount of progression before he would be ready to pitch at the next level adequately.
Besides, Hoffman has underperformed as of late in Triple-A Albuquerque. Granted it is early in the season still, but with Hoffman’s ability a 0-2 record with an ERA of 5.14 is less than ideal for the 5th starter in a Major League rotation.
Like anything, practice makes perfect. If Hoffman wants to be as efficient as possible when his time comes at the professional level, he will first need to master pitching in Triple-A.
“We worked on some delivery stuff in spring that he really made a point to get a handle on which he did,” Black said of Hoffman. “Now it’s just a lot of repetition. He needs reps. He needs starts. He needs innings. Just to continue to fine tune his game. There’s a lot to like about Jeff Hoffman.
Hoffman needs consistency right now. Gray will only be sidelined for about a month, which translates to just about half a dozen starts for whoever fills the void. While those six starts would certainly have their benefits for Hoffman, it does not make a lot of sense for him to abandon his progress in Triple-A for a handful of professional starts.
While his outlook remains a mystery, it is essential that Hoffman fully develops his depot of pitches and establishes a level of consistency in his game before making the leap.
There is also no reason to rush the 24-year-old. As it stands, the Rockies are playing great baseball. With a record of 12-6, the Rockies have been among the sport’s best ballclub’s to start the season. Hoffman will contribute to the Rockies at some point in the not so distant future, but for now, his time is best suited progressing himself as a pitcher in minors so that when his time does come, he is primed and ready for the challenges of pitching at the professional level.
