For former Moose Jaw Miller Express pitcher Logan Hofmann, it couldn’t have turned out better.
Hofmann, who played for the Express in the 2018 Western Canadian Baseball League season, was selected in the fifth round, 138th overall by the Pittsburgh Pirates during the second day of the 2020 Major League Baseball Draft on Thursday.
And you want to talk about making a good decision?
Hofmann, 21, opted not to sign with the St. Louis Cardinals after the 2019 MLB Draft, deciding to take his chances in NCAA Division I baseball with Northwestern State as a fourth-year player.
He was all but unhittable for the Demons, posting a 4-0 record and not allowing an earned run, with his total of 28 scoreless innings the best in the NCAA. And he didn’t allow a lot of contact, either: Hoffman had at least nine strike-outs an outing, twice fanning 11 while allowing only 14 hits.
“A right-hander with a three-pitch mix and a fluid delivery with over-the-top arm action,” Hoffman is described by Prospects Live. “His change up flashed above-average with some nice tumble and run. It was an effective offering, stealing strikes from left-handed hitters to his arm side. His curveball has 11-5 break with some twist at the end. The curveball was his best swing-and-miss pitch. Overall a decent pitch mix, good mechanics and a pair of good secondaries make Hoffman a legit bullpen option in pro ball, even if he’s below-average size and lacks huge fastball velocity.”
As a freshman out of Colby Community College in 2018, the Muenster native suited up for eight regular-season games with the Miller Express, posting a 4-1 record and striking out 21 against eight walks and only six hits.
The following summer Hofmann played with Falmouth in the prestigious Cape Cod League, going 3-0 with a 3.37 ERA while striking out 22, walking seven and giving up only 11 hits.
That led to Northwestern State and this past spring, which saw the NCAA season shortened due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Hofmann went into the draft ranked 477th in Baseball America’s Top 500 combined high schoolers and collegians as of May 8; 235th on Perfect Game’s combined list as of May 24 and the 10th ranked Southland Conference prospect according to D1Baseball.com.
Oh, and about that decision?
Hofmann was drafted in 35th round, 1,055th overall in the 2018 Bantam Draft.
That’s 30 rounds and almost a thousand places better.
Not a bad choice indeed.
