We're counting down the top 15 sports stories of the year, and the Pittsburgh Pirates drafting and signing a former Miller Express pitcher comes in at number 15.

With his selection in the fifth round, Saskatchewan's highest-ever drafted player, Logan Hofmann had the ear of a lot of young players at Moose Jaw Baseball Training Facility.

Hofmann advice to the players was to keep at it, and train as much as possible.

“Not only on the field but off the field too, whether it’s watching baseball games, watching video on guys, in the weight room and that kind of thing,” he said. “I would say you can’t just take days off at a time from doing things and just get back into it and be the same player you were.”

While the minor leagues were shut down in 2020, Hofmann wasn't able to play this summer. From an early-season shutdown at the collegiate level to the short, five-round draft. it was a wild season for baseball players. 

“It’s been pretty crazy obviously,” said Hofmann. “We only played 16 games this year and then it got cut off. It was just a whirlwind of things going on. And then I got home at the end of March from school. From there, obviously, we had no idea what was going on either. And then once it got nice out again, I started throwing again (at the) end of April.”

Listed at 5-10, 190 pounds, Hofmann was dynamite at Northwestern State, striking out 38 in 28 innings, allowing only 14 hits and five walks with an earned run average of 0.00. In 2019, he threw 16 innings at Falmouth of the Cape Cod league, whiffing 22 batters over 16 innings.

Hofmann had a solid 2018 with the Millers, striking out 21 in 14 and a third innings of relief, with a 2.51 ERA and a 4-1 win-loss record. His ERA was the lowest that season of any pitcher on the Miller Express with at least ten innings.