Jeff Hoffman
Another reliever who put together a career year for the Phillies in 2023 was Jeff Hoffman. After struggling extensively as a starter at the beginning of his career, he started to turn the corner when he was converted into a reliever with the Cincinnati Reds in the previous two seasons.
At the start of the 2023 season, Hoffman was signed to a minor-league contract on April 2. Eventually, his contract was selected, and he was called up in early May. From there, he never looked back.
In the end, Hoffman had his best season ever, compiling a 5-2 winning record with a stellar 2.41 ERA and 0.92 WHIP, giving up only three home runs all season along with 69 strikeouts in 52 1/3 innings pitched.
However, Steamer's projections aren't too favorable for Hoffman for 2024, as his ERA is expected to go up almost one and a half runs to 3.86, his WHIP climbing to 1.27. He'll also give up a whopping 10 home runs over the course of the season. Those numbers would mirror his stats line during his tenure with the Reds, so perhaps Steamer believes his exceptional season last year was more of an outlier than a breakthrough.
Obviously, these Fangraphs’ Steamer projections are all just predictions of what Phillies players could produce this upcoming season. How well it will essentially play out will come down to their individual performances in the end. Nevertheless, with the Phillies looking to be back in contention for the World Series again in 2024, let’s all hope they only get better from here on out.