MLB Draft: Top 10 steals of all time

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SAN DIEGO – JULY 7: Trevor Hoffman of the San Diego Padres pitches during the game against the Atlanta Braves at Petco Park in San Diego, California on July 7, 2007. The Padres defeated the Braves 8-5. (Photo by Rob Leiter/MLB Photos via Getty Images) /

7. Trevor Hoffman

When Trevor Hoffman was drafted by the Cincinnati Reds in the 11th round with the 290th overall pick in 1989, he was an undersized shortstop out of Arizona. He spent the first two years of his professional career hitting .228 in the minor leagues before making the switch to the mound in 1992.

Hoffman never got the chance to play for the Reds. In 1992 the Florida Marlins selected him in the expansion draft. He debuted for the Marlins in 1993, but after 28 games they sent him to the San Diego Padres for Rich Rodriguez and Gary Sheffield. It was with the Padres that Hoffman would develop into one of the most dominant closers in baseball history.

Hoffman wasn’t one of the fireballing relievers that are so prevalent in baseball today. His average fastball velocity never registered above 86 m.p.h. Instead, he made use of his trademark changeup to twice lead the league in saves. He finished second in Cy Young balloting twice. Hoffman’s best season came in 1998, when he had a 1.48 ERA and 53 saves, then the second-most in a season, as the Padres went on to the World Series.

Hoffman pitched for the Padres for 16 years before spending the last two years of his career with the Milwaukee Brewers. At the time of his retirement in 2010, his 601 career saves were the all-time record, 42 more than Mariano Rivera. While Rivera would eventually surpass him, Hoffman still has 123 more saves than the next closest player. Only Hoffman and Rivera are members of both the 500- and 600-save club. Hoffman was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2018.

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