Hoffmann puts hockey plans on ice, chases baseball goals

The decision surely has saved Jamie Hoffmann money on his dental bills, but aside from that, the 51s outfielder still isn’t entirely sure why he chose to pursue a career in professional baseball instead of hockey.

Drafted by the NHL’s Carolina Hurricanes in the eighth round in 2003, the New Ulm, Minn., native had his bags packed for a trip to Colorado College — where he had planned to attend on a hockey scholarship — before deciding to sign with the Los Angeles Dodgers, who offered him a contract the day before he was going to leave for school.

“I had 24 hours to make my mind up,” the 28-year-old Hoffmann said. “I liked them both the same and didn’t know what to do. I decided to give baseball a whirl, to play in the warmer weather maybe. Honestly, I don’t know why I made the decision, but I’m happy with it, and I don’t look back.

“I still have all my teeth, so I’m pretty excited about that.”

Despite earning Minnesota’s prep player of the year honors in baseball in 2002, the 6-foot-3-inch, 235-pound Hoffmann wasn’t drafted.

“From that point on, I thought I was better at hockey,” he said. “I pursued hockey a lot more and got a lot of offers.”

Hoffmann, who had 25 goals and 32 assists his senior year at New Ulm High School, played for Des Moines, Iowa, of the United States Hockey League during the 2002-03 season — compiling 39 points (14 goals, 25 assists) and 120 penalty minutes in 60 games to attract the Hurricanes’ interest.

Had Dodgers scout Jeff Schugel not been back in his hometown of New Ulm — a town of 13,000 located 90 miles southwest of Minneapolis — for a reunion of his American Legion state title team and seen Hoffmann play that night, Hoffmann could have ended up in the NHL.

At least that’s what Colorado College coach Scott Owens said.

“He had size, skating ability, was physical, had real good character — all the things that we like,” Owens told the New York Times. “I think he had a good chance at playing in the NHL.”

A .286 hitter in 10 minor league seasons who has appeared in 16 games in the majors, Hoffmann mostly questioned his decision to pick baseball over hockey in 2006, when he struggled for Class-A Vero Beach (Fla.) and Carolina won the Stanley Cup.

“I’m not saying I would’ve been (in the NHL), but I was in the dumps, and they were winning the Stanley Cup,” he said. “You have that ‘what if’ in the back of your mind.”

A.J. Schugel, son of the scout who signed Hoffmann, was the losing pitcher for Salt Lake in Monday’s 9-7 loss to the 51s at Cashman Field. Hoffmann went 2-for-4 with a double, RBI and stolen base against him and also threw out a runner at third base from right field.

Hoffmann, who is hitting .299 with one homer and 17 RBIs this season — and batting .395 against left-handers — was rated the best defensive outfielder in the Dodgers’ farm system, by Baseball America, from 2005 to 2008.

“He can play all three outfield positions and play them pretty well. He does everything in the outfield better than average,” 51s manager Wally Backman said. “Jamie’s kind of an emergency guy for us in New York. I think he can go to the big leagues and be the fourth or fifth outfielder.

“He hits left-handed pitching very well, and there’s a spot for a guy like that.”

Hoffmann made his major league debut for the Dodgers in 2009, belting a three-run homer off Matt Palmer in the first at-bat of his first big league start at Dodger Stadium.

“It was just unreal,” Hoffmann said. “I had a smile on my face for months after that.”

The Dodgers placed him on waivers in 2011 after he compiled a career year for Albuquerque, batting .297 with career highs in homers (22) and RBIs (84).

Hoffmann said the hockey mentality he took onto the diamond has softened over the years.

“I’ve kind of calmed down a little. You learn how to slow your emotions in baseball,” he said. “In hockey, if you’re having a bad day, you can just go and run into people. In baseball, it’s tough to vent. You can’t exactly throw equipment and run into somebody. It’s different.

“It took me awhile to get the mentality down. You still have to battle through every day.”

Contact reporter Todd Dewey at tdewey@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0354.