Scouting Report Tommy Hanson

The Mets face the 23-year old phenom tonight at 8:10. He threw 127 innings or the Braves last year, and if you ask a number of Braves fans, he is the reason they missed the playoffs last year. No, he didn't perform poorly, instead, the Braves wanted to prevent his service time/arbitration clock from starting, so he made 11 starts in AAA instead. If the Braves had Hanson start those 11 games in the big leagues, many fans (and even the Braves players) believe they make the playoffs last year. He only faced the Mets once last year, and threw seven shutout innings, allowing only three hits. His ERA last year was 2.89 (WHIP 1.18). There was some concern after his last start that he was tipping his pitches, as he lasted only 4 2/3 innings vs the Phillies, as they fouled off 23 pitches.

Hanson has an unorthodox delivery, as he throws across his body, something that makes some physical therapists/scouts cringe. He has a heavy, moving fastball that ranges from 90-94 mph. He's not afraid to pitch inside. He throws a tight curveball and a sweeping slider (throws it 25% of the time), while improving his change-up (only throws it 3 or 4 times a game) could make him a top 5 pitcher in the league. Has a ridiculous strikeout rate (over 10 k/9 in the minors, over 8 k/9 last year). Is a future ace in the making.


To read about the Mets starter, click here: Big Pelf. Pelfrey has a 19 inning scoreless streak, and is pitching with a ton of confidence. Will definitely be the #2 starter behind Johan if he continues to pitch like this. Biggest improvement over last year is the development of a split-finger fastball.