Tommy Hanson

I am kind of surprised that he 11 k's were a Braves rookie record. Oh and watch the video :)

Tommy Hanson’s performance Monday night (video) is just what Braves fans had been waiting for from the former top prospect in all of the minor leagues. Certainly, the 23-year-old had won four times in his first five starts in the major leagues and put up the kind of ERA that let him fit right into one of the top-performing rotations in the National League. But if they were waiting for one that really set the 6-foot-6 Californian apart, they got it in Hanson’s 11-strikeout game. The 11 strikeouts were the most ever by an Atlanta Braves rookie and the eighth double-digit strikeout game by a rookie in franchise history.

“Hanson had his best all-around stuff,” Braves manager Bobby Cox said. “He was around the plate all night, went ‘strike one’ many times and used his fastball to set up the breaking balls. He had them guessing just about all night long what he was going to throw. I thought it was dominating stuff tonight.”

Hanson, who hadn’t pitched since July 9, gave up two runs in the second on a Winn double after walking the pitcher but retired the next 14 batters in a row, including seven by strikeout. “My arm felt great today, with the days off, being able to rest a little bit,” Hanson said. “Early in the game, I was just battling, trying to find my release point. Once I figured that out and dialed that in a little bit, my arm felt great and everything felt really good today.”

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That last part made me smile.

Now that Jonathan Sanchez is just another pitcher coming off a generic quality start, one in which the opposing team, you know, actually got a hit, you might assume the Giants are getting back on the phone and pushing him on trade partners to get the bat they need. Not so fast, my friends.

Sanchez is much less expendable for the Giants now than he was a few weeks ago, and it has nothing to do with his no-hitter on July 10. The Giants need Sanchez in the rotation because Randy Johnson is a) 45 years old, b) on the disabled list with a strained rotator cuff, and c) 45 years old with a strained rotator cuff. It’s impossible to tell when the Big Unit will get back on the mound.

And about Hanson … just – wow. That was the best pure stuff I’ve seen from an opposing pitcher this season.

Extra Baggs

Tommy Hanson has been optioned to Class A Myrtle Beach, but it’s only a procedural move because the Braves needed to get a fresh arm for the bullpen to get through the weekend.

Hanson, the rookie phenom who’s 4-0 with a 2.85 ERA in seven starts, will be brought back to pitch the fifth game after the All-Star break, the first day he would be eligible to return after being optioned.

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Counting on rookies is dangerous, I agree. My gut tells me Hanson is a different pedigree all together though. I hope I am right, 'cus I own him in half my leagues, and have no intentions on swapping him.

So far though the hitters are not fooled by his stuff and he has only had a 5.29 K/9 in 36 IP. That is a huge fall from his 10-12 K/9 in the minors and with 154 batters faced his K/9 should be pretty stable. ... He has yet to strikeout more than 5 hitters in one game and has 4 games with as many if not more walks than strikeouts. His ERA has been so low though with plenty of luck. His BABIP is currently at .227 and an LOB% of 89.4%. This would make his FIP 4.87, but with a HR/F of 9.4% his xFIP is 5.47.

In keeper leagues his long term value is still high as many pitchers struggle early, but in one year leagues I would move him with such great value right now. Pitchers just can't control these numbers and he will soon regress to the mean. ... Counting on rookies is always dangerous and could quickly damage your season. I would pass on Hanson in single season leagues for now.

rotosavants

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Hanson has made five major league starts and gone 4-0 with an 0.78 ERA in the past four, after giving up six earned runs in his debut against Milwaukee. He hasn’t allowed a run since the third inning of his second start at Baltimore on June 12, and has given up 9 hits in 17-1/3 scoreless innings in his past three starts — one at Cincinnati’s hitter-friendly park, and two against the American League East superpowers.

“I’ve still got a lot of stuff to do before I’m the pitcher I want to be,” said Hanson, who said that hype and publicity isn’t something he worries about or concerns himself with, though he admits he doesn’t mind hearing his name.

“I can see this guy being another [Roy] Halladay,” said Jones, comparing Hanson to Toronto’s two-time 20-game winner and 2003 Cy Young Award winner. “I know that’s lofty expectations, but I’m just trying to give you my impressions, who he reminds me of. He’s not intimidated. He doesn’t care who’s up at the plate. He knows that with his stuff, if he executes his pitches he will get anybody out.”

ajc.com

The basepaths were bustling with Yankees while Tommy Hanson was on the mound Tuesday night, but the big redhead didn’t allow any of them to score. Mark it down as another test passed for the Braves’ pitching phenom, who worked 5-1/3 innings during a 4-0 win against the New York Yankees in a much-anticipated series opener at Turner Field.

Hanson (3-0) allowed four hits and five walks in his fourth start, but the right-hander made big pitches when he needed them most to run his scoreless-innings streak to 14. The Yankees left the bases loaded twice against him.

“Tommy would bend a little bit, then he would get out of it,” manager Bobby Cox said. “That’s a sign of a pretty good pitcher, to get in those situations and you don’t panic.”

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for some odd reason, I had him on the bench in one league. odd.

Apparently, Tommy Hanson is just getting warmed up. The 6-foot-6 young gun with the mid-90s fastball won for the second time in three major-league starts, this time with six shutout innings in a 7-0 win over the Reds.

Hanson, and the trio of back-end relievers for the Braves — Peter Moylan, Mike Gonzalez and Rafael Soriano, combined for the Braves’ fourth shutout of the season. That’s one way to make a good effort by the starting rotation stand up — don’t give up any runs.

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Glavine won't pitch again this year

Its a new and improved Tommy gun

It's debatable whether the decision to have Hanson start this year in the Minors was based on a desire to delay the start of his arbitration clock. But as the 6-foot-6 right-hander prepares to make his Major League debut against the Brewers on Sunday afternoon, there are few that will dispute the fact that he is one of the game's top prospects.

"I don't think there's any doubt that Tommy Hanson is ready to pitch up here," Jones said. "We have all been waiting for the phone call, and it finally came. The kid is ready."

Just in case you have been living under a rock for the last few days

The wait is over for the Atlanta Braves' most heralded pitching prospect of the decade. Tommy Hanson will make his major league debut on Sunday against the Milwaukee Brewers after only 11 Triple-A appearances. Even so, he said his impatience was building.

"It was a little bit," Hanson said Saturday. "I've always said worry about what I can control, but I think toward the end I was starting to get a little bit impatient. It all worked out."

I love this sort of stuff. Every box score in the future will have a little pop-up next to the players name, much like yahoo does now, but with an embeddable chart option. In the future ...

There isn't much you can conclude from a single outing, but Hanson clearly has excellent stuff. I've seen him pitch well, and I've seen him pitch poorly. Even when struggling with his command, he's still electric. And the wildest I saw him, this Spring, he was missing down, way down, or out. IIRC.

Kawakami is more of mystery to me - I've not seen him pitch, although he's just a click away on MLB.TV. I typically looked for Hanson's games on there this Spring, not Kawakami's. Like I said, the fastballs may include some actual sinkers, not the oddball "two-seamer" he threw to Josh Anderson. Still, the Braves will certainly hope he shows better command soon - and Hanson's just a phone call away.