Colorado Rockies Rundown: Minors, Barnes, Miller, Hoffman, Arenado’s MVP

The good and bad from Jeff Hoffman

(via ESPN — $)

Keith Law looks in-depth at Colorado Rockies prospect Jeff Hoffman in his latest Insider ($) post on ESPN.com, and he deduces that the righty, who was the Rockies’ premier piece in the haul back from the Toronto Blue Jays for Troy Tulowitzki, isn’t quite ready for the big leagues yet.

Law likens Hoffman to Jon Gray of a year or two ago; great arm, but straight fastball, not enough feel for off-speed pitches, and needing more touch and experience in trusting his natural stuff against better and better competition.

[ Related: Tinoco, Castro and Hoffman have impressed in the minor leagues ]

That’s no surprise, since Hoffman is young and hasn’t yet been a professional baseball player for two years. Besides — and this is the most important piece — he had Tommy John surgery to reconstruct his elbow about 16 months ago.

Considering how quickly he’s returned from that surgery, and how well he’s done at AA already in his recent rehab and return to baseball, it’s worth it to be optimistic about Hoffman and what he might be able to do for the Rockies at the end of 2016, or most certainly the beginning of 2017.

Next: Brandon Barnes' bat decals