Glenn Hoffman’s respectable .285 average at Triple-A Pawtucket in 1979 earned him a call-up to the Red Sox in 1980. When Butch Hobson went down with a shoulder injury in July, Hoffman became the team’s everyday third baseman. He hit .285 in 114 games, earning a full-time spot in the infield; the following season, he was shifted to shortstop after the Red Sox acquired Carney Lansford from the Angels in an off-season trade that sent Hobson and Rick Burleson to Anaheim.
With a strong and accurate arm and excellent range, Hoffman was more than capable of handling his new position. But his weak hitting made it hard for the Red Sox to justify giving him a full-time job. In his sophomore season, Hoffman’s batting average dropped to .231; in 1982, he played in 150 games (all at short) but hit just .209. Even though he raised his average to .260 in 1983, Hoffman made a career-high 26 errors at short, and off-season knee surgery limited him to just 74 at-bats in 1984.
By becoming more selective at the plate, Hoffman won back the starting job from Ricky Guttierez in 1985 and hit .276. But an ankle sprain in the second game of the 1986 season, combined with a mild cardiac problem discovered later in the year, prevented Hoffman from making any meaningful contribution to the Red Sox’ thrilling pennant run.
The emergence of Spike Owen as Boston’s regular shortstop in 1987 spelled the end of Hoffman’s career with the Red Sox, and in August he was traded to Los Angeles for a player to be named later. After returning to the Red Sox Triple-A affiliate in Pawtucket for the 1988 season, Hoffman spent his last year in the majors hitting .212 as a utilityman for the California Angels in 1989.
Hoffman returned to the Dodgers organization in 1990 as a player-coach for their Albequerque (Triple-A) farm club, and his playing career finally came to an end when he was hired as skipper of the Dodgers’ Rookie League team in Great Falls. Hoffman managed four of the next eight seasons for various Dodger affiliates before being named Los Angeles’ interim manager on June 21, 1998, replacing the fired Bill Russell. During his short stint as Dodgers skipper, Glenn managed ten games against his younger brother, Trevor, who was the closer for the division rival San Diego Padres.
