Bobby Hofman
Robert George Hofman
- Bats Right, Throws Right
- Height 5' 11", Weight 175 lb.
- High School Beaumont High School (St. Louis)
- Debut April 19, 1949
- Final Game May 5, 1957
- Born October 5, 1925 in St. Louis, MO USA
- Died April 5, 1994 in Chesterfield, MO USA
Biographical Information[edit]
The nephew of Solly Hofman and Oscar Hofman, infielder Bobby Hofman served in the U.S. Army in World War II prior to reaching the majors. Upon retiring as a player, he was tied with Fred (Cy) Williams for the most pinch-hit home runs, lifetime (9, a record since broken). He hit his last on May 27, 1955.
He appeared in the field during 205 of his 341 career games in the majors. The most common position for him was second base, where he had 82 appearances - a lot fewer than his games as a pinch-hitter.
After his playing days ended, he was a Kansas City Athletics coach in 1966 (he also guided the Arizona Instructional League A's team that year) and 1967 and a member of the Washington Senators staff in 1968. He coached for the Oakland Athletics in 1969 and 1970 before spending the next two seasons with the Cleveland Indians. He returned to the Athletics staff again in 1974, 1975, and 1978. He was the Scouting Director for the New York Yankees from 1980 to 1984 and the director of player development from 1985 to 1988.
All in all, Hofman spent over 40 years in baseball as a player, coach, executive and minor league manager, retiring in 1989 and dying from cancer less than five years later.
Year-by-Year Managerial Record[edit]
| Year | Team | League | Record | Finish | Organization | Playoffs | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1958 | Danville Leafs | Carolina League | 80-59 | 1st | San Francisco Giants | Lost League Finals | |
| 1959 | Plainview Athletics | Sophomore League | 60-65 | 4th | Kansas City A's | ||
| 1960 | Sioux City Soos | Three-I League | 71-68 | 3rd | Kansas City A's | ||
| 1961 | Visalia Athletics | California League | 60-79 | 4th | Kansas City A's | none | |
| 1962 | Albuquerque Dukes | Texas League | 70-70 | 3rd | Kansas City A's | Lost in 1st round | |
| 1963 | Daytona Beach Islanders | Florida State League | 51-71 | 7th | Kansas City A's | ||
| 1964 | Lewiston Broncs | Northwest League | 70-70 | 4th | Kansas City A's | ||
| 1965 | Lewiston Broncs | Northwest League | 18-7 | -- | Kansas City A's | replaced by Bill Posedel on May 17 | |
| Vancouver Mounties | Pacific Coast League | 64-55 | 5th | Kansas City A's | replaced Haywood Sullivan (13-14) on May 17 | ||
| 1973 | Richmond Braves | International League | 18-43 | -- | Atlanta Braves | replaced by Clint Courtney on June 15 | |
| 1974 | Lewiston Broncs | Northwest League | 12-12 | -- | Oakland A's | replaced by Buddy Peterson on July 9 |
Further Reading[edit]
- Jeff English: "Bobby Hofman", in Chip Greene, ed.: Mustaches and Mayhem, Charlie O's Three-Time Champions: The Oakland Athletics 1972-74, SABR, Phoenix, AZ, 2015, pp. 511-516. ISBN 978-1-943816-07-1
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