Braves' Tommy Hanson nearly unhittable, definitely untouchab
Posted: Sat Nov 15, 2008 11:39 pm
He hasn’t thrown a pitch above Class AA in the minor leagues. However, he’s judged to have such extraordinary talent, the Braves flatly refuse to trade him.
In any deal.
Even one for San Diego ace Jake Peavy.
Here is Tommy Hanson, 22-year-old ascendant prospect who looms very large in the Braves’ future, literally and figuratively. If you’ve been waiting for the next homegrown Braves pitching star, the organization believes he’s the one.
At 6 feet 6, the Oklahoma right-hander could be the highest-touted pitching prospect to come through the organization in a decade. He threw a 14-strikeout no-hitter after a May promotion to Class AA Mississippi. His off-the-charts work in the Arizona Fall League could make him the AFL MVP, rare for a pitcher.
“I mean, he’s totally dominated out here,” said Rocket Wheeler, Hanson’s manager with the Mesa Solar Sox in the fall league and his manager in parts of the past two seasons at Class A Myrtle Beach. “He’s been tremendous.”
In a hitter-friendly AFL that’s lined with major league prospects, Hanson has dominated, posting a 4-0 record and 0.76 ERA. He’s allowed nine hits, two runs and five walks while piling up a league-high 39 strikeouts in 23-2/3 innings.
All this after he went 11-5 with a 2.41 ERA in 138 innings this season between Myrtle Beach and Mississippi, totaling 163 strikeouts and 52 walks in 138 innings and leading all minor league starters with a .175 opponents’ average.
“I expected to come out here and do well [in Arizona], but I never would have expected to do this well,” said Hanson, whose modesty belies his relentless determination and confidence. “Basically I just wanted to come out here and work on my changeup, like I’ve said before. But when I got out here, everything kind of carried over from the season.
“The consistency has been there with all my pitches, so it’s been good. It’s been a good experience out here.”
Well, yeah.
“I’ve never seen anything like it,” said Mississippi and Mesa teammate Stephen Marek, a right-hander who went to the Braves from the Los Angeles Angels in the Mark Teixeira trade. Marek went to big-league spring training with the Angels last year and watched closer Francisco “K-Rod” Rodriguez and others, but none impressed him more than Hanson has.
“I remember when I got over there [to Mississippi], I saw him throw a [bullpen session] and I’m like, ‘Gee, whiz.’ ” Marek said. “I saw him pitch and I think he struck out 12 in five innings. OK, that’s pretty good.”
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