Source: Pirates sign fifth-rounder Hofmann

The Pirates are making much quicker work of signing their draft picks than normal. Last week, they reached a deal with second-round selection righty Jared Jones. On Tuesday, they officially inked their first pick, shortstop Nick Gonzales, for $5,432,400.

You can add Logan Hofmann to that group now. The Pirates announced Saturday that they signed their fifth-round pick.

A source tells DK Pittsburgh Sports that the right-hander received a $125,000 bonus.

On Friday, DK Pittsburgh Sports learned that the right-hander had come to terms with the Pirates and passed his physical. All that was left is the actual signing of some paperwork, which took a bit longer since he is in Muenster, Saskatchewan, Canada.



Hofmann signed for less than the $402,000 his slot value was, which was 138th overall. That saved money could go to other picks in this draft, like Jones, who likely will receive a higher bonus than his slot value.

Hofmann was a junior for Northwestern State in 2020, where he struck out 38 batters and did not allow an earned run over 28 innings. He was an All-Star in the Cape Cod league last year, recording a 3-1 record with a 3.54 ERA and one save for Falmouth. He struck out 27 over 20.1 IP, and then two more in his inning of work in the Cape Cod All-Star game.

"He's got an interesting mix of pitches," Ben Cherington said upon drafting him. "High spin fastball that he commands really well. A really good breaking ball. He's a competitor. He just keeps getting better."

The 20-year-old righty, who is listed at 5-foot-10, 190 pounds, relies on a fastball, curve combo. His fastball sits in the 90-92 mph range. A source tells DK Pittsburgh Sports that his curveball, which has 12-to-6 movement, has an above-average spin rate that's around 2,600 rotations per minute.

He was selected in the 35th round by the Cardinals in 2019. Baseball America ranked him as the 478th best draft prospect this year.

The Pirates have only three more draft picks left to sign: Their second first-round pick, Carmen Mlodzinski, third-rounder Nick Garcia and fourth-rounder Jack Hartman. All three are right-handed pitchers who were drafted out of college.

This year's deadline to sign draft picks is July 12 at 5 p.m. ET.