Tommy Hanson

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Thomas J. Hanson

Bats Right, Throws Right
Height 6' 6", Weight 210 lb.
School Riverside Community College
Debut June 7, 2009

Born August 28, 1986 in Tulsa, OK USA

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1 Biographical Information
2 Notable Achievements
3 Sources
4 Related Sites

[edit] Biographical Information

Tommy Hanson is an Atlanta Braves pitcher.

Hanson was chosen in the 22nd round of the 2005 amateur draft by the Atlanta Braves as a draft-and-follow pick. He signed and made a fine pro debut with the 2006 Danville Braves, going 4-1 with a 2.09 ERA, 56 strikeouts and 9 walks in 51 2/3 IP while holding opponents to a .218 average. Had he qualified, he would have ranked second in the Appalachian League in ERA behind Jamie Richmond. Hanson and Richmond helped Danville win the Appy title that year. Baseball America ranked Hanson as the league's #4 prospect, one slot ahead of Richmond; no pitcher was rated higher.

Tommy was very good in 2007 but had little run support. He was 2-6 with a 2.59 ERA for the Rome Braves, allowing 59 hits and striking out 90 in 73 iinnings, holding opponents to a .194 average. Promoted to the Myrtle Beach Pelicans, the tall right-hander was 3-3 with a 4.20 ERA and over a strikeout per inning. He led Braves farmhands with 154 strikeouts and a .216 opponent average. Baseball America rated him as the best pitching prospect in the South Atlantic League. They ranked him as being the #14 prospect in the South Atlantic League (between Adrian Cardenas and Brandon Snyder) and #8 in the Carolina League, behind Brandon Erbe.

Hanson began 2008 even better, going 3-1 with a 0.90 ERA for Myrtle Beach, 49 strikeouts and only 15 hits in 40 innings for a .116 opponent average. That earned him a quick promotion to the Mississippi Braves, where he threw the first no-hitter in team history on June 25, fanning 14 agains the Birmingham Barons. Hanson was 8-4 with a 3.03 ERA for Mississippi, allowing a .197 average and fanning 114 in 98 innings. He led Atlanta farmhands in ERA (2.41), strikeouts (163) and opponent average (.175) and was named their Minor League Player of the Year. He was 4th in the affiliated minors in strikeouts behind David Bromberg, David Hernandez and Madison Bumgarner. Baseball America rated him as the #9 prospect in the Southern League, between Michael Saunders and Wade Davis. Had he qualified, he would have led the SL in ERA.

Tommy kicked off 2009 with the Gwinnett Braves, going 3-3 with a 1.49 ERA, 90 strikeouts in 66 1/3 innings and only 40 hits allowed. He was leading the International League in ERA (.25 over Clay Buchholz) and strikeouts (24 more than Carlos Torres). That prompted Atlanta to call him up, releasing 300-game winner Tom Glavine to make room for him on the parent club's roster.

Hanson had a rough big league debut. After 3 perfect innings (with 4 Ks) against the Brewers, he gave up a 4th-inning 2-run homer to Ryan Braun. The next inning, Jason Kendall singled and stole and scored on a double by pitcher Manny Parra. Braun and Mike Cameron both hit 2-run shots off Hanson in the 6th and he left with a 7-5 deficit. Atlanta rallied to win the game. Hanson then won his next start againt the Baltimore Orioles, giving up two runs in 5 ⅔ innings.