Tommy Hanson: Future Ace

Is Tommy Hanson For Real?

In 2009, Jair Jurrjens led all Atlanta Braves starters with a magnificent 2.60 ERA. Javier Vazquez dominated hitters, posting a 2.87 ERA and 238 punchouts while finishing fourth in Cy Young voting.

Yet despite their fantastic numbers, rookie Tommy Hanson still managed to steal the spotlight.

Drafted in the 22nd round of the 2005 amateur draft, Hanson was part of the now defunct “draft and follow” program.

Making his minor league debut in 2006, Hanson dominated at Danville (R). His 2.09 ERA in 51.2 innings was great, but his 9.8 K/9 and 6.22 K/BB were phenomenal.

2007 was another great year for Hanson, he posted a 3.32 ERA between A and A+ ball, and continued to strike batters out at a prolific (10.4 K/9) rate. Despite his achievements, he was only ranked the ninth best prospect in the Braves farm system following the 2007 season, behind players like Brandon Jones, Brent Lillibridge and Jeff Locke.

Despite a great 2006 and 2007, Hanson really had a coming out party in 2008. Dominating at both Myrtle Beach (A+) and Mississippi (AA) was special, but his performance in the Arizona Fall League was what put Hanson atop the list of Braves prospects (ahead of even Jason Heyward).

Typically dominated by hitters, Hanson put up possibly the most dominating pitching performance in the history of the AFL in 2008. In 28.2 innings (over 7 starts) Hanson posted a 0.63 ERA and struck out 49 batters (that’s 15.4 K/9) on the way to becoming the first pitcher ever to win the MVP award.

In 2009, Hanson-mania was running through Braves camp. Despite pitching well in Spring Training, and clearly outperforming Jo-Jo Reyes, the Braves decided that Hanson needed more seasoning and sent him to AAA (a move that did not sit well with many Braves fans).

Hanson continued to dominate minor league hitting, proving (what many already knew) that he was ready for the majors while compiling a 1.49 ERA over 66.1 innings (while striking out 90).

Just before the Braves were supposed to have Tom Glavine back in a major league uniform, Hanson was called up instead (and Glavine was unceremoniously released).

While Hanson’s debut was forgettable (six earned runs allowed in six innings against Milwaukee), Hanson quickly returned to the dominance that he had experienced all along the minor league ladder.

In the 20 major league starts that followed, Hanson allowed only 35 earned runs, and ended up finishing the season with a sparkling 2.89 ERA and 11-4 record. He also struck out 8.2 batters per nine innings, and held opponents to just a .225 batting average.

Although he finished third in Rookie of the Year voting, Hanson might have been the rightful choice to win, as he dominated more than Coghlan or Happ in the majors.

Coming into 2010, Hanson is expected to continue his dominance. Bobby Cox said, “I noticed last spring that he was a kid with confidence. He has a mental presence that connects. He knows he belongs here now.”

Along with Jair Jurrjens, Hanson is now the future of a Braves staff, and should remain in Atlanta after Tim Hudson and Derek Lowe are long gone.

With his plus fastball, curveball, Smoltz-like slider and developing change-up, Hanson has an ace-caliber repertoire. Combine that with his confidence and bulldog mentality, and Hanson will be a top of the line starter for years to come.

Brett Kettyle

Is Tommy Hanson For Real? March 16, 2010 – Brett Kettyle In 2009, Jair Jurrjens led all Atlanta Braves starters with a magnificent 2.60 ERA. Javier Vazquez dominated hitters, posting a 2.87 ERA and 238 punchouts while finishing fourth in Cy Young voting. Yet despite their fantastic numbers, rookie Tommy Hanson still managed to steal [...]