Hoffman hoping third time's a HOF charm

SAN DIEGO -- For the last two years, Trevor Hoffman has anxiously awaited the call from the National Baseball Hall of Fame, anticipating his possible election. This marks his third year on the Baseball Writers' Association of America ballot.
In 2016, the former Padres closer with a National League record 601 saves came off a golf course near his home in North County and learned that he missed by 34 votes (67.3 percent). Earlier this year, the Padres brought video crews to his house awaiting the blessed call. It never came.
Hoffman earned a nice bump, but he missed by a scant five votes (74 percent). Just like any candidate for the Hall, Hoffman needs 75 percent to be elected.
Eligible BBWAA writers with at least 10 years of active consecutive membership in the group have until Dec. 31 to mail back their paper ballots, which were released on Monday. They can vote for as many as 10 players.
Hoffman's chances this year are excellent. The six players who came within five votes or fewer were eventually inducted. The last was Craig Biggio, who missed by two votes in 2014 before being elected the next year with 82.7 percent of the vote. It was also Biggio's third year on the ballot.
Still, when the announcement comes on Jan. 24 at 3 p.m. PT on MLB Network, Hoffman expects to be wary. He'd rather keep it low-key this time around just in case.
"We don't have big plans," Hoffman told MLB.com last week. "I think that goes back to tempering of attitudes. We did it with the Pads earlier this year with the cameras there, and then you're looking at the clock, watching the time slipping away. The hurt all goes away, but there's still scar tissue.
"I figure that I might as well not worry about it, and if I get the call, I get the call. I'm not really worried about documenting it. We'll see. We'll see what we plan out."

The fact that Hoffman needs to pick up only five more votes is a good reason to be cautious but optimistic. He finished his career in 2010 with the Brewers, having converted 88.8 percent of his save opportunities, blowing just 76 in 18 seasons.
Only Mariano Rivera, who pitched 19 seasons with the Yankees and recorded 652 saves, has more than Hoffman.
Still, Hoffman has bested the great Rivera in a few significant areas: His four seasons in a row and nine overall with 40 or more saves are Major League records. His strikeouts-per-nine-innings ratio of 9.4 is also the MLB record for a reliever.
Hoffman's 552 saves and 902 games pitched for the Padres are NL records pitching for the same team.
Hoffman's ERA of 2.87 is fifth among relievers, behind Rivera (2.21), Billy Wagner (2.31), Ron Perranoski (2.79) and Bruce Sutter (2.83). Sutter, with 300 saves in 12 seasons, was elected to the Hall in 2006, his 13th year on the ballot.
But there are dissidents among the voting writers as far as Hoffman's concerned, and he isn't sure what will make the difference this year.
"Hopefully, the trend will continue steadily climbing north," Hoffman said. "I'm sure if I look at it as a holdup because of the way I'm viewed as a closer, I think it goes in ebbs and flows with how the writers view certain players, especially those in specialty roles. I think that could be changing with all the attention relievers have gotten the last two postseasons.
"Whether that shines a good light on us is still to be determined. But there's obviously a burnout factor if guys aren't used judiciously."
The fact that Hoffman and Rivera did it so well for so long may never again be equaled. They will forever be linked together. Their names are on the trophies that honor the best reliever in each league during the regular season, Hoffman representing the NL, Rivera the American League.
Rivera will be on the ballot for the first time next year and is generally considered to be a first-ballot lock. His 42 saves and 0.70 ERA in the postseason are a huge factor. Of course, Rivera pitched on 16 Yankees postseason teams, winning the World Series five times.
Hoffman pitched in only 12 postseason games (four saves, 3.46 ERA) for the Padres, including the sweep by the Yankees in the 1998 World Series.
Hoffman would rather avoid the tumult of getting the call next year with Rivera, who will join Yankees teammate Andy Pettitte and the late Roy Halladay on the ballot. All are first-timers.
That could be a Yankees fest, Hoffman said, giving him another reason to hope that the third time will bring the magic.
"You have to keep your emotions in check," said Hoffman, who was a master at that as a player. "I think the first year, you're not really sure. To have multiple years when you have to wait another 365 days to get right back to that same spot is tough. The longer you're on the ballot, the more negativity you hear and the more your career is dissected.
"I certainly hope this is the year we get through it for a lot of reasons. Mariano doesn't deserve to share the stage with anybody. It would be nice to welcome him in."
Fred McGriff and Gary Sheffield are the only other players on the ballot with Padres ties. McGriff played for San Diego from 1991 until he was traded to the Braves midway through the '93 season. This is his ninth year on the ballot. His highest vote total was 21.7 percent on the most recent ballot. Sheffield won an NL batting title with the Friars in '92 -- his only full season with the club -- and was dealt to the Marlins in June 1993. Sheffield got 13.3 percent of the vote in 2017 in his third year on the ballot.