Trevor Hoffman Statue

Unveiled in 2018, this statue commemorates San Diego Padres Hall-of-Fame closer, Trevor Hoffman (1967-). A native of Bellflower, California who played collegiately at the University of Arizona, the right-hander enjoyed a major league career that spanned eighteen seasons, spending sixteen of those with the Padres. A seven-time All-Star selection and the club’s all-time saves leader, Hoffman became the first closer in baseball history to record 500 and then later 600 saves. Following the 2010 season, he announced his retirement, finishing his career with 601 saves, a 1.06 WHIP, and a 2.87 ERA. In 2018, the Baseball Writers’ Association of America elected him to the National Baseball Hall of Fame in his third year of eligibility. About a month after being formally inducted into the Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York, the Padres unveiled a statue of Hoffman just beyond Petco Park’s left centerfield bullpens. Designed by North Carolina-based artist William Behrends, the nine-foot-tall bronze sculpture depicts the right-handed closer on the mound, in mid-windup, about to deliver a pitch. 

Trevor William Hoffman was born the youngest of three boys to Ed and Mikki Hoffman on October 13, 1967 in Bellflower, California. Originally a singer, his father was a postal worker and usher at California Angels games who occasionally sang the national anthem, earning him the nickname “The Singing Usher.” His mother, on the other hand, was an English-born ballerina. When Hoffman was just six weeks old, an arterial blockage forced doctors to remove one of his kidneys. Forbidden from playing contact sports as a child, he gravitated to baseball, the sport of choice of his older brother Glenn. He attended Savanna High School in Anaheim, where he played shortstop on the baseball team. Without any scholarship offers coming out of high school in 1986, Hoffman played at Cypress College, a junior college near Anaheim, before transferring to the University of Arizona. In Tucson, he became a star on the baseball diamond. Hoffman led the team with a .371 batting average his junior season in 1988. More than simply an offensive threat, he also boasted a strong arm at shortstop. 

Soon after Hoffman graduated from the University of Arizona in 1989, the Cincinnati Reds drafted him in the eleventh round of that year’s MLB Draft. While in the minor leagues playing for the Single-A Charleston Wheelers, he struggled offensively and defensively. In response, Hoffman sought to capitalize on his lively arm by becoming a pitcher, a wise decision that positively changed the trajectory of his professional baseball career. Boasting a ninety-five-mile-per-hour fastball, he found immediate success on the mound and quickly rose through the Reds minor league system, finishing the 1992 season with the Triple-A Nashville Sounds. That fall, the Reds left Hoffman unprotected for the expansion draft and the Florida Marlins selected him with their fourth pick. He made his major league debut on April 6, 1993. Midway through the season, the struggling San Diego Padres traded slugger Gary Sheffield and pitcher Rich Rodriguez to the Marlins in exchange for three young players, Hoffman being one of them. 

His tenure with the Padres began inauspiciously. In his first three appearances, Hoffman surrendered eight runs in just three innings of work. The right-hander also blew his first save opportunity with the club. He finished the 1993 season with only five saves and an ERA of 3.90. Hoffman’s situation only worsened when he injured his throwing shoulder twice while playing on the beach during the 1994 strike. Consequently, his fastball fell below ninety-miles-per-hour. In need of an alternative strikeout pitch, he turned to a discarded grip to develop a devastatingly effective changeup that made hitters look silly. 

Hoffman’s star began to rise during the 1995 season. That year, he recorded thirty-one saves. The following year, he earned forty-two, three of which came in the final three contests of the season against the Los Angeles Dodgers to help the Padres clinch their first division title in twelve years. In June 1997, Hoffman recorded his 109th save for the club, surpassing Hall-of-Famer Rollie Fingers for most in franchise history. The next season, he set a major league record with forty-one straight converted saves en route to finishing runner-up for the National League Cy Young Award. Hoffman’s three saves in the postseason that year helped the Padres reach the World Series, where they were swept by the New York Yankees in four games. In 2001, he set yet another major league record when he completed his fourth consecutive seasons of earning forty or more saves. Five years later, Hoffman recorded his 479th career save, passing Lee Smith to become baseball’s all-time saves leader. During the 2007 season, he became the first closer in major league history to record 500 saves. 

Prior to the 2009 season, Hoffman signed with the Milwaukee Brewers. In early September 2010, he reached yet another milestone, becoming the first player in major league history to record 600 saves. Following the season, he announced his retirement, finishing his career with 601 saves, a 1.06 WHIP, and a 2.87 ERA. In 2018, the Baseball Writers’ Association of America elected him to the National Baseball Hall of Fame in his third year of eligibility. 

On August 18, 2018, about a month after being formally inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York, the Padres unveiled a statue of Hoffman just beyond Petco Park’s left centerfield bullpens. Designed by North Carolina-based artist William Behrends, the nine-foot-tall bronze sculpture depicts the right-handed closer on the mound, in mid-windup, about to deliver a pitch. Behrends also designed the Tony Gwynn statue, which stands just beyond the right centerfield fence in an area known as Park at the Park. 

Cassavell, A.J. "Padres unveil Hoffman statue at Petco Park." mlb.com. 18 August 2018. Web. 26 June 2021 <https://www.mlb.com/news/trevor-hoffman-statue-unveiled-at-petco-park-c290908670>.

Mannis, Max. "Trevor Hoffman." sabr.org. Society for American Baseball Research. Web. 26 June 2021 <https://sabr.org/bioproj/person/trevor-hoffman/>.

"Trevor Hoffman." baseballhall.org. National Baseball Hall of Fame. Web. 26 June 2021 <https://baseballhall.org/hof/hoffman-trevor>.