Initially drafted by the Cincinnati Reds in the 11th round of the 1989 draft, Trevor Hoffman was a shortstop prospect at the time of his selection. Similar to San Diego Padres’ Javy Guerra, he was converted to a relief pitcher and was selected by the Florida Marlins as part of the 1992 expansion draft.
He made his big league debut in 1993 with 28 appearances out of the ‘pen to the tune of a 3.28 ERA while striking out 26 batters in 35.2 innings. Hoffman also walked 19 guys, and that was enough for the Marlins to pull the trigger on acquiring Gary Sheffield from the Padres mid-season.