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Padres Press Clips Thursday, January 19, 2017

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Happily Trevor after: HOFfman eyes '18 MLB.com Cassavell 2

Hall's bells should ring for Trevor in '18 MLB.com Justice 3

Stash the party favors: 's Hall wait temporary UT San Diego Miller 6

Trevor Hoffman narrowly misses election to Hall of Fame UT San Diego Lin 8

Padres roster review: UT San Diego Sanders 10

Glenn Hoffman, Next Additions to Top 100 Padres Padres.com Center 11

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Happily Trevor after: HOFfman eyes '18

By AJ Cassavell / MLB.com | @AJCassavell | January 18th, 2017

SAN DIEGO -- Trevor Hoffman, one of the greatest relief of all time, came just shy of closing out his Hall of Fame legacy on Wednesday.

In his second year on the ballot, the legendary Padres fell a mere five votes short of the 332 required for induction into the National Hall of Fame.

Only , and Ivan Rodriguez received the 75 percent needed for enshrinement in Cooperstown on Wednesday. Hoffman ultimately finished at 74, making him only the sixth player in history to fall one percentage point shy of being voted into the Hall.

"I first want to send a very heartfelt congratulations to Jeff Bagwell, Tim Raines and Ivan Rodriguez. All three men exemplify what it means to be a Hall of Famer in our game," Hoffman said in a statement. "For me, falling short of this class is disappointing, but I don't take being on the ballot lightly. I'm grateful for every vote and I am truly humbled to have come so close. I hope to one day soon share a Hall of Fame celebration with my family, friends, teammates and all of San Diego."

Despite Wednesday's disappointment, Hoffman saw a significant uptick in his vote totals after he received 67.3 percent last year. Those numbers seem to indicate that he'll reach the Hall eventually -- possibly as early as next year. (Players are given a maximum of 10 seasons on the ballot.)

Since the Hall of Fame changed its voting structure in 1969, 15 players have returned to the ballot after receiving at least 70 percent of the vote. Only was not elected by the BBWAA -- and he was later voted in by the .

Hoffman joins , , Bunning, and as the only players to fall one percentage point short. The other five are all Hall of Famers. Biggio -- the most recent case -- came the closest at 74.8 percent in 2014, before he was easily elected the following year.

Hoffman pitched 18 seasons in the big leagues, 16 of which came in San Diego. During that time, he racked up 601 saves, second only to . Among relievers with at least 1,000 , Hoffman ranks second in percentage (88.8), eighth in ERA (2.87), fourth in ERA+ (141), second in opponents' average (.211), second in WHIP (1.06) and first in rate (25.8).

Perhaps the two numbers that most harmed Hoffman's case were his 28 and his 1,089 1/3 . (Only has been enshrined with fewer innings.) Of course, those numbers merely highlight Hoffman's role as a one- closer. In recent years, debate has arisen about the importance of the job.

But within the constricts of that job, Hoffman is undoubtedly one of the best ever, and the numbers back him up.

Now, he'll have to wait -- at least one year, perhaps longer -- to be recognized with baseball's highest honor.

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Hall's bells should ring for Trevor in '18

By Richard Justice / MLB.com | January 18th, 2017

Hang in there, Trevor Hoffman. You're going to get into the Hall of Fame very soon now. There's pretty much no doubt about that.

How about next year? Yes, that sounds about right.

You're too close now. Close enough to taste it. In fact, that's the larger message on a bitterly disappointing day.

2017 Hall of Fame election results Votes Player Percentage 381 Jeff Bagwell 86.2% 380 Tim Raines 86.0% 336 Ivan Rodriguez 76.0% 327 Trevor Hoffman 74.0% 317 71.7% 259 Edgar Martinez 58.6% 239 54.1% 238 53.8% 229 51.8% 199 45.0%

Sure, it's stinks to be forced to wait another year. When Craig Biggio missed by three votes three years ago, he got in his pickup and drove from his in Houston to his ranch in South .

"I needed to get away for a couple of days," Biggio said.

That's surely how Hoffman is feeling after being named on 327 of 442 Hall of Fame ballots, yet missing the 75 percent induction requirement by five lousy votes.

"For me, falling short of this class is disappointing," Hoffman said in a statement that was typically gracious. "But I don't take being on the ballot lightly. I'm grateful for every vote, and I am truly humbled to have come so close.

"I hope to one day soon share a Hall of Fame celebration with my family, friends, teammates and all of San Diego."

Former Padres teammate spoke for a lot of people when he tweeted: "This one hurts. Absolutely ludicrous that you didn't get in. 1% shy, but 100% HOF'er in my book!"

San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer also took to , writing, "There's no doubt you're a Hall of Famer, @THoffman51. You are a San Diego legend -- and the game's best closer, period."

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For Hoffman to get 74 percent of the vote -- to become the sixth player to miss by one percentage point -- says plenty about the Baseball Hall of Fame and how difficult it is to get in the door.

That's a good thing. That's how it was set up. As memorably said one year when he missed the cut, "It's the Hall of Fame. It's supposed to be tough to get into."

In other words, the Hall of Fame isn't a borderline deal. To clear the 75 percent threshold tells every inductee he belongs with the best of the best.

In 82 years of voting, the Baseball Writers' Association of America has voted for only 124 players, including this year's trio of Tim Raines, Jeff Bagwell and Ivan Rodriguez.

Various committees have honored another 195, including Negro Leaguers, managers, executives and umpires. By any metric, any club that has admitted 319 members in 82 years is a pretty exclusive little gathering.

Some of us think there's a backlog of qualified candidates and that this generation of players is under- represented in the Hall of Fame.

But that's a discussion for another day. The point is that the doors of Cooperstown will almost certainly open for Hoffman in 2018.

Biggio got in a year after his close call, and the whole waiting thing now seems like a distant memory.

"When it happens, you keep pinching yourself," Biggio said. "You look around on that stage and see the club you're now a member of."

That's how it'll be for Hoffman, hopefully in the summer of 2018. He'll look around and see and and , the best of the best.

At that point, it won't matter that Hoffman had to wait an extra 12 months. He'll grasp the company he's now keeping, and the pain of Wednesday's close call will have given way to a celebration.

Here's the bottom line: Trevor Hoffman belongs in the Hall of Fame. No one in history has gotten this close and not ultimately reached the Hall.

Besides that, Hoffman has the appropriate credentials. Voters have struggled with whether relievers even belong in the Hall of Fame. Regardless, closers are part of the game, and the best of them should be in the Hall.

Hoffman's case is straightforward. His 601 saves are the second most in history, trailing only Mariano Rivera's 652. His 1,035 games are 11th on the all-time list.

Among relievers with at least 1,000 innings, Hoffman's save percentage (88.8) is second best all time. He's fourth in ERA+ (141), second in WHIP (1.06) and first in strikeout rate (25.8).

Hoffman's signature pitch -- a circle -- was so good that hitters couldn't make contact even when they knew it was coming.

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"He could tell me he was going to throw it -- and he pretty much did -- and I couldn't it," Biggio said.

Hoffman was so precise that his arm action was exactly the same for his . His changeup just didn't get to home plate as quickly and tied hitters in knots.

Hoffman saved at least 30 games in 14 of his final 16 seasons and made the All-Star team seven times in a 12-season stretch between 1998 and 2009.

Hoffman placed second in NL Award voting in 1998 and 2006, as well as fifth- and sixth-place finishes in 1996 and '99, respectively.

Closers have to be evaluated apart from starting pitchers because they don't have the innings to stand out. Hoffman's career Wins Above Replacement of 28.4 is that of an average offensive player.

But Hoffman helped define a new role in baseball, just as , Bruce Sutter and did in an earlier era.

Hoffman's entrance into home games, preceded by the iconic opening of AC/DC's "Hells Bells," became one of the coolest things in baseball.

Maybe they'll play that in Cooperstown when Hoffman approaches the podium for his acceptance speech, hopefully in 2018.

There's zero question Hoffman belongs in the Hall of Fame. That's where the best of the best are supposed to be.

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Stash the party favors: Trevor Hoffman's Hall wait temporary

Bryce Miller, UT San Diego

The fine Spanish cigar will have to wait. So will the hand-picked bottle of Scotch. So will the cheeks stained with emotion.

Nine hours away from San Diego, former Padres Carlos Hernandez shelved a one-man celebration for -chasing battery mate Trevor Hoffman and his bid to enter baseball’s Hall of Fame.

Hoffman fell just 1 percent short on his second ballot Wednesday, by a stinging 5 votes among 442 cast. He congratulated the incoming class of Jeff Bagwell, Tim Raines and Ivan Rodriquez in a series of tweets before sharing a bit of honest deflation about the close call.

“For me, falling short of this class is disappointing, but I don't take being on the ballot lightly …” Hoffman wrote. “I'm grateful for every vote and I'm truly humbled to have come so close.

“I hope to one day soon share a Hall of Fame celebration with my family, friends, teammates and all of San Diego.”

For now, that day is on hold.

Hernandez badly wanted to lose hold of his internal waterworks for the man who redefined perceptions and performances for closers by nailing down 601 games. The day before results were announced, he envisioned an enshrinement that would stir him, heart deep.

Hernandez, on vacation with his family in Spain, explained what Hoffman means to him – and a city.

“I will cry for him, because he deserves that,” said Hernandez, the starter in 1998 as Hoffman finished second to in NL Cy Young voting. “And he’s family.”

So close. So agonizing. So tricky to process.

The margin felt both painful and promising for fans of a knee-buckling changeup that invigorated San Diego and helped fuel the Padres’ march to a world championship collision with the Yankees.

Fans wanted to blare “Hells Bells” at ear-rattling, “Spinal Tap” 11. It will happen. It just didn’t happen Wednesday.

San Diego craved this, days removed from the wreckage of the Chargers discarding 56 seasons in the most detached, impersonal way. Memories of Alworth and Fouts and Junior and L.T. melted among the hate and heat of an awkward, unreciprocated embrace with .

Hoffman offered a smile in waiting – just as his presence promised wins. This was a chance to cheer and cherish, a community bracing for a giddy party for of one of its own.

This was glow, yet unlit.

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“I think the city would enjoy that kind of news to celebrate,” Padres Andy Green said this week. “I think he’s as beloved in this city as anybody.”

Bank on the fact that Hoffman will be a Hall of Famer in 2018. The door is kicked and creaking. The numbers, on the field and across ballots, tells the story. It’s a wait on certainty – but a wait nonetheless.

On MLB Network, sportscaster and baseball purist predicted the next Hall class will include Hoffman, slugger Vladimir Guerrero and first-ballot additions and . No one has debuted with the 67.3 percent Hoffman delivered a year ago and failed to make the Hall.

Breathe, Padres fans. You’re one January away.

“I still remember Trevor Hoffman when I was playing in Arizona in 2004,” Green said. “An eventual Hall of Famer is out there at 2 o’clock, in 120-degree weather in gray shorts running on the track. Just crushing it.

“That kind of commitment to routine is eventually what separated him from everybody else.”

Green tells another story of Hoffman visiting San Diego’s Monarch School, a place focused on children impacted by homelessness. What Green saw: The person is just as impressive as the arm.

“His personality is over the top in those settings. Kids just ran to him,” Green said. “He’s putting together Lego toys with them. That’s a side not everyone sees, how genuinely he cares for people. When he talks to you, he wants you to feel valued. Not many people do that.”

It’s easy to root for Trevor Hoffman. His baseball life isn’t clouded by performance-enhancing drugs or domestic abuse or any of those other asterisks that propel fans into loyalty-straining conflict.

The shine is there – inside and out.

Hoffman was so impressive in ’98 when he converted saves in 53 of 54 regular-season attempts that Hernandez tipped a few hitters to the devastating changeup that was coming.

Revealing pitches is one of those no-no’s in the game.

Hernandez couldn’t help himself.

“He would throw the changeup using the same motion as a curve or fastball – it was the same,” he said. “The speed was excellent, 74 or 75 with that terrific movement down in the zone.

“I was laughing, people were missing that pitch so much.”

Hall worthy?

Of course. Hoffman’s due … in due time.

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Trevor Hoffman narrowly misses election to Hall of Fame

Dennis Lin, UT San Diego

Thirty-four votes shrunk to five, but a margin, however slim, remained. Trevor Hoffman, the Padres icon who holds the National League saves record, will have to wait at least another year to gain entrance into baseball’s Hall of Fame.

In his second year of eligibility, Hoffman appeared on 327 of 442 Baseball Writers’ Association of America ballots. His 74 percentage represented a significant hike from last year’s mark of 67.3, but fell just short of the 75 (332 votes) needed for election.

Jeff Bagwell (86.2 percent), Tim Raines (86 percent) and Ivan Rodriguez (76 percent) comprise the 2017 class, announced Wednesday. They were in their seventh, 10th and first years on the ballot, respectively.

“I first want to send a very heartfelt congratulations to Jeff Bagwell, Tim Raines and Ivan Rodriguez,” Hoffman said in a statement. “All three men exemplify what it means to be a Hall of Famer in our game. For me, falling short of this class is disappointing, but I don’t take being on the ballot lightly.

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“I’m grateful for every vote and I am truly humbled to have come so close. I hope to one day soon share a Hall of Fame celebration with my family, friends, teammates and all of San Diego.”

Hoffman reiterated those sentiments in a phone interview later Wednesday.

“It’s been amazing, the support I’ve gotten across the board, not just from family and friends but people in San Diego,” Hoffman said.

“Similar to last year, I wasn’t quite sure what direction (the voting) might go. I liked the way things were trending on the internet,” he said, citing ballot-tracking done by Ryan Thibodaux. “You look at the seven voters that had me on the ballot last year that didn’t put me on this year for whatever reason — we might’ve gotten the bump we’re looking for. I think the bottom line in the whole thing is going from 67 percent to 74. That’s a good sign.”

Hoffman’s near-miss is reminiscent of 2014, when Craig Biggio appeared on 74.8 percent of ballots, two votes shy of election. Biggio jumped to 82.7 percent in 2015, more than enough to send him to Cooperstown.

The case for Hoffman’s enshrinement, while supported by the majority of voters, has been widely debated. For some, the rise of advanced metrics has diminished the value of specialists who worked one- inning stints. Meantime, current rules limiting voters to 10 selections per year have worked against newer candidates.

Still, Hoffman performed his given role longer and arguably better than anyone outside of Mariano Rivera. Over 18 seasons, including 16 with the Padres, Hoffman saved at least 40 games nine times, earned seven All-Star berths and twice finished as the runner-up for the NL . The right-

8 hander compiled 9.4 per nine innings and a 1.058 WHIP. His 2.87 ERA is fifth all-time along relievers, behind Rivera (2.21), (2.31), (2.79) and Bruce Sutter (2.83).

Hoffman is bidding to join Sutter as the only Hall of Famers who relieved from start to finish. No closer has been elected since Goose Gossage in 2008.

“We believe Trevor Hoffman’s name should have been called today, and we share in the disappointment felt by Padres fans everywhere,” the Padres said in a statement. “Few players have ever performed the task set in front of them as successfully and as consistently as Trevor did. On top of that, Trevor has the unanimous respect and love of former teammates, coaches and fans. He is a true Hall of Famer, and we look forward to the day very soon when we will see him enshrined in Cooperstown.”

Hoffman and Vladimir Guerrero, who appeared on 71.7 percent of ballots, figure to be two of the strongest candidates for next year’s class. Chipper Jones and Jim Thome, both of whom will be newly eligible, also will fall into that category.

“I think it’s going to be a very strong class again, so I hope I can continue the forward track,” Hoffman said. “I thought (inducted in 2015) said something very special: Once you get there, they don’t ask you what ballot you were on or how many years it took, they don’t ask what percentage you got. Once you’re enshrined, you’re enshrined. … If I’d gotten in this year, great. If I get in next year, great. I’m not going to count my chickens before they hatch.”

A converted who arrived in San Diego during the of 1993, Hoffman long ago became one of this city’s most beloved figures. His entrance song, AC/DC’s “Hells Bells,” was synonymous with the ninth inning at Qualcomm Stadium and . In 2006, at age 38, he established a new all-time saves record by converting No. 479. He would be the first reliever to reach 500 and, later, 600 saves.

Hoffman concluded his career with 601, surpassed only by Rivera’s 652. In 2014, he was inducted as the ninth member of the Padres Hall of Fame. History already had indicated Hoffman was headed to Cooperstown — every player who received at least 50 percent of the vote on his first try was eventually enshrined — but his trip will wait at least another year.

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Padres roster review: Robbie Erlin

Jeff SandersContact Reporter

Sizing up the Padres’ 40-man roster, from A to Z, heading into the 2017 season.

ROBBIE ERLIN

 Position: Left-handed  Acquired: Via with Rangers in July 2011; Originally a 3rd-round draft pick in 2009 (Scotts Valley HS, Calif.)  2017 age: 26  Contract status: Won’t be arbitration-eligible until 2018 at the earliest; Salary was set at $516,400 in 2016  Key stats: 1-2, 4.02 ERA, 13 strikeouts, 3 walks, 0.957 WHIP, .218 avg. against, 15 2/3 IP (3 games, 2 starts)

Stat to note

32 2/3 – The number of innings that Erlin has thrown in the majors the last two years, the last of which was interrupted by season-ending surgery.

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Down – Originally acquired with in the trade, Erlin ranked as high as No. 53 on BaseballProspectus.com’s top prospects after fashioning a 9.63 strikeout-to-walk ratio over 147 1/3 innings in the Rangers’ system. He even managed to lower his ERA from 2.99 that year to 2.82 in 2012 only to have the smear the back of Erlins’ baseball card. Yet although he posted an ERA above 5.00 in each of his next three minor league seasons, Erlin emerged as a 26th-man of sorts for the major league club as he bounced to and from affiliates in Tuscon and then El Paso. He was his most successful in the majors 2013, posting a 4.12 ERA over 54 2/3 innings as a rookie, won four games the following year in spot duty and then had elbow issues crop up during his stint in 2015. Then last year, when it looked like Erlin might finally get an extended look in the rotation as the Padres prepared for a rebuilding phase, Erlin’s elbow was barking again after just three appearances: 3 2/3 shutout innings in relief in Colorado, a seven-strikeout game at Philadelphia and then six runs allowed in his lone start at home. The discomfort shelved Erlin in mid-April ahead of an elbow reconstruction in mid-May.

2017 outlook

Barring any setbacks, the 14th-month mark in Erlin’s Tommy John rehab schedule would point to a post- All-Star break return, although it’s likely that comes as a reliever as he begins to build his innings back up. Long-term, with most of the Padres’ high-end pitching prospects in the low minors, a strong summer could set Erlin up to enter the 2018 season as a serious candidate for the rotation.

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Glenn Hoffman, Clay Kirby Next Additions to Top 100 Padres Kirby’s removal from 1970 no-hitter part of Padres’ lore

By Bill Center

The Padres first dynamic pitcher and a man who has physically been on the field more than any other Padre over the past 11 seasons are today’s additions to my top 100 list of Padres contributors.

Right-hander Clay “The Kid” Kirby was a member of the Padres first rotation in 1969 and soon later became part of one of the more infamous incidents in Padres history in the first of his three no-hit bids.

Glenn Hoffman has been the Padres third base since 2006, although he is respected equally for his work off the field.

76. Glenn Hoffman

Trevor Hoffman’s older brother became the Padres’ third base coach in 2006 season and has been in the coaching box nearly every game since. Hoffman has spent more time in the third base coaching box than another other coach in franchise history. But his work on the field is just the tip of Hoffman’s contributions since he joined the Padres. Hoffman also works with on defense and helps set defensive alignments for the Padres. The 2017 season will be Glenn Hoffman’s 42nd in and his 12th with the Padres. He is serving his third manager as the Padres’ third base coach. Glenn was a second-round pick of the in the 1976 draft and spent parts of nine seasons as a player in the Major Leagues. Before joining the Padres, Hoffman was the Dodgers’ third base coach for almost seven seasons as well as the Dodgers’ interim manager in 1998.

75. Right-handed Clay Kirby

Kirby was the Padres’ sixth pick (12th overall) in the 1968 expansion draft to stock the Padres and the Expos. A third-round draft pick of the St. Louis Cardinals, Kirby was 20 years old when he made his Major League debut with the Padres on April 11, 1969. Kirby pitched 215 2/3 innings in 35 starts during his and the Padres’ first season. He had a 7–20 record despite a 3.80 earned average. By the time he was 25, Kirby had made 170 starts and pitched 1,128 innings as a Padre with a 52–81 record and a 3.73 ERA. That’s an average of 34 starts and 225 2/3 innings a season on a very young arm. Kirby also came close to three no-hitters as a Padre and pitched a complete-game, one-hitter against the Giants on Sept. 18, 1971. On July 21, 1970 Kirby had no-hit the Mets for eight innings when he was pulled by manager Preston Gomez for a pinch-hitter in the bottom of the eighth because the Padres were trailing. Reliever gave up a lead-off to opening the ninth. Thus, the “no- hitter curse of Clay Kirby” was born. In a six-day span in September of 1981, Kirby took no-hitters into the eighth against both the Astros and Giants. Kirby ranks third on the Padres all-time list with 34 complete games, seven of which were shutouts. He also ranks fourth in opponents’ batting average (.243), sixth in strikeouts (802), seventh in innings pitched and eighth in starts. On Dec. 9, 1973, Kirby was traded to the for and pitcher Dave Tomlin. Kirby died on Oct. 11, 1991, at the age of 43.

The list thus far:

75. RHP Clay Kirby 11

76. 3B coach Glenn Hoffman

77. RHP

78. 2B Alan Wiggins

79. Manager Andy Green

80. 1B

81. CF Kevin McReynolds

82. LHP

83. 1B Wil Myers

84. OF

85.

86. OF Ollie Brown;

87. RHP Steve Arlin

88. Bullpen coach Whitey Wietelmann

89. RHP

90. SS Tony Fernandez

91. RHP

92. Bullpen coach Darrel Akerfelds

93. INF-OF Bip Roberts

94. C-1B

95. 3B

96. RHP

97. RHP Scott Linebrink

98. CF Mike Cameron

99. C Chris Cannizzaro

100. SS Chris Gomez

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