Just 5’9″, Hoffman was not drafted after college but was signed by the White Sox in 1978 while playing in a Peoria, IL weekend league. He went 8-0 in the minors, was promoted to Chicago in less than a year, and was 0-5 as a rookie reliever. After spending much of 1981-85 in Triple-A, he went 6-2 for the 1986 Cubs and, despite elbow problems, produced a 9-10 mark for the 1987 Reds.