Jarrett Hoffpauir Stats & Scouting Report

Full name Jarrett Lee Hoffpauir
Born 06/18/1983 in Natchez, MS
Profile Ht.: 5'9" / Wt.: 190 / Bats: R / Throws: R
School Southern Mississippi
Debut 07/03/2009
Drafted in the 6th round (180th overall) by the St. Louis Cardinals in 2004 (signed for $110,000).

View Draft Report

Two of the state's college teams should lose their middle-infield combos. Jarrett Hoffpauir, whose brother Josh plays in the independent Central League, profiles as an offensive second baseman. He reminds scouts of Craig Biggio because his uniform is always dirty and he makes consistent hard contact, though he's not nearly that caliber of player. Hoffpauir hit an authoritative .327 with wood last summer in the New England Collegiate League and was hitting .401 with fewer than 10 strikeouts this season. His plate discipline could make him attractive to statistically-savvy organizations, and his other tools are fringy.

Top Rankings

The 2004 draft is essentially a lost one for the Cardinals, who adhered to a strict college-first philosophy in order to save money and restock an organization so thin it just needed an infusion of organization players if nothing else. That's about the way it has worked out, with first-round pick Chris Lambert getting traded to the Tigers for Mike Maroth in 2007, and Hoffpauir left as the standard-bearer for this class. A year after hitting just .249 in Double-A, he returned to that level and was competing for the Texas League batting title when he got promoted last summer, and he continued to flash a level swing and astute strikezone judgment in Triple-A. Hoffpauir always has been willing to take a walk, and that and his ability to put the bat on the ball are his offensive trademarks. He plays a mistake-free second base, though his speed, range and arm are fringy tools. He took on the added challenge of playing some shortstop and third base in Triple-A. Freshly added to the 40-man roster, he'll report to his first big league camp with a chance to make the team as a utility infielder. If Hoffpauir keeps hitting, he could end up as the homegrown second baseman St. Louis has sought since it traded Adam Kennedy to get Jim Edmonds in March 2000.