JCStone7
05-08-2008, 09:28 PM
Wet Behind the Ears: Tommy Hanson
by: Jonathan C. Stone (http://www.braves-nation.com/forums/member.php?u=356) | Braves-Nation.com
Tommy Hanson, the draft-and-follow player the Braves drafted in the 22nd round in the 2005 Amateur Draft out of Riverside Community College in California. Also the guy who was kind enough to spend two hours chatting it up with the Nation answering a bevy of questions. To see that click here (http://www.braves-nation.com/forums/showthread.php?p=150414&posted=1#post150414).
You can recognize Hanson if you go to the ballpark, a 6'6 blonde that can overpower hitters with a plus fastball that can hit the mid-90's, an excellent slurve, and a solid change-up that keeps the hitters off-balance and from sitting on the fastball. His fastball is his best pitch and when asked about it he said the following, "my fastball is my main pitch and i really try to challenge hitters with it." So with that in mind let's take a look at the numbers.
Hanson made his Braves MILB debut in 2006 with the Danville Braves of the Appalachian League. He went 4-1 with a 2.09 ERA while striking out 56 and only walking nine in 51 innings pitched. You read those right, shading on the border of dominance, but of course that is rookie ball. So after that impressive 2006 campaign Tommy started the 2007 in low-A Rome.
While at Rome he went 2-6, and before you base your opinions on the W-L record I suggest you keep reading. In 73 innings pitched he struck out 90 while walking only 26. You read that right that's good for a 11.10 K/9 ratio and better yet a 1.05 WHIP. With that kind of stretch the Braves' brass thought enough to move along his progression to high-A Myrtle Beach to end the 2007 season.
While at Myrtle Beach he started 11 games and went 3-3 and maintained a high K/9 ratio with a very good 9.6 rate, but his WHIP went up to 1.42 while his HR/9 doubled to 1.50. Needless to say he has the talent he just needed to figure out the more advanced hitters, so the Braves' front office decided to keep Hanson in Myrtle Beach to start 2008.
This is where it gets interesting. While starting seven games thus far at the Beach he is 3-1 with an 0.90 ERA, 0.65 WHIP, 49 strikeouts in 40 innings pitched. But the biggest surprise is the 0 HRA thus far. The biggest knock on Hanson to this point was that he keeps the ball up in the zone thus being susceptible to the gopher ball.
More importantly, this season's stellar start shows that Hanson is learning hitters, learning how to pitch effectively, and showing that enormous potential while maintaining his mound presence which is that of a bulldog as he won't back down to hitters.
With the start Hanson is off to at Myrtle Beach, he is more than punched his ticket to Mississippi, the AA team of the Braves. In some scout's minds the jump from A-ball to AA-ball is the hardest transition to make as most prospects fizzle at A-ball or lower. So when he gets to Mississippi is when the journey to the big leagues becomes more of a real possibility more than a sincere hope.
I really like Tommy and I hope to see him in the bigs someday. If he stays at the same rate, and by that I factor in learning curve, it seems that he may be MLB ready by mid-2010 - early 2011. So be sure to stay tuned!
by: Jonathan C. Stone (http://www.braves-nation.com/forums/member.php?u=356) | Braves-Nation.com
Tommy Hanson, the draft-and-follow player the Braves drafted in the 22nd round in the 2005 Amateur Draft out of Riverside Community College in California. Also the guy who was kind enough to spend two hours chatting it up with the Nation answering a bevy of questions. To see that click here (http://www.braves-nation.com/forums/showthread.php?p=150414&posted=1#post150414).
You can recognize Hanson if you go to the ballpark, a 6'6 blonde that can overpower hitters with a plus fastball that can hit the mid-90's, an excellent slurve, and a solid change-up that keeps the hitters off-balance and from sitting on the fastball. His fastball is his best pitch and when asked about it he said the following, "my fastball is my main pitch and i really try to challenge hitters with it." So with that in mind let's take a look at the numbers.
Hanson made his Braves MILB debut in 2006 with the Danville Braves of the Appalachian League. He went 4-1 with a 2.09 ERA while striking out 56 and only walking nine in 51 innings pitched. You read those right, shading on the border of dominance, but of course that is rookie ball. So after that impressive 2006 campaign Tommy started the 2007 in low-A Rome.
While at Rome he went 2-6, and before you base your opinions on the W-L record I suggest you keep reading. In 73 innings pitched he struck out 90 while walking only 26. You read that right that's good for a 11.10 K/9 ratio and better yet a 1.05 WHIP. With that kind of stretch the Braves' brass thought enough to move along his progression to high-A Myrtle Beach to end the 2007 season.
While at Myrtle Beach he started 11 games and went 3-3 and maintained a high K/9 ratio with a very good 9.6 rate, but his WHIP went up to 1.42 while his HR/9 doubled to 1.50. Needless to say he has the talent he just needed to figure out the more advanced hitters, so the Braves' front office decided to keep Hanson in Myrtle Beach to start 2008.
This is where it gets interesting. While starting seven games thus far at the Beach he is 3-1 with an 0.90 ERA, 0.65 WHIP, 49 strikeouts in 40 innings pitched. But the biggest surprise is the 0 HRA thus far. The biggest knock on Hanson to this point was that he keeps the ball up in the zone thus being susceptible to the gopher ball.
More importantly, this season's stellar start shows that Hanson is learning hitters, learning how to pitch effectively, and showing that enormous potential while maintaining his mound presence which is that of a bulldog as he won't back down to hitters.
With the start Hanson is off to at Myrtle Beach, he is more than punched his ticket to Mississippi, the AA team of the Braves. In some scout's minds the jump from A-ball to AA-ball is the hardest transition to make as most prospects fizzle at A-ball or lower. So when he gets to Mississippi is when the journey to the big leagues becomes more of a real possibility more than a sincere hope.
I really like Tommy and I hope to see him in the bigs someday. If he stays at the same rate, and by that I factor in learning curve, it seems that he may be MLB ready by mid-2010 - early 2011. So be sure to stay tuned!