Tommy Hanson arrived on the Major League scene last summer with what scouts described as four above-average pitches. Now as the Braves right-hander prepares to build off his rookie season, he possesses enhanced confidence provided by his improved changeup.
Opposing hitters, who saw Hanson go 11-4 with a 2.89 ERA in the 21 starts he made for Atlanta last year, certainly shouldn't be encouraged to learn that the 6-foot-5 right-hander now feels confident about his ability to keep them off balance with yet another offspeed pitch.
According to FanGraphs.com, the percentage of times Hanson threw each of his four pitches last year reads like this: fastball (57.5), slider (23.9), curveball (14.4) and changeup (4.4).
Hanson certainly didn't seem to be disturbed by the fact that rain prevented him from making his scheduled four-inning appearance against the Pirates on Friday. The 23-year-old right-hander simulated the workload of the missed outing in the indoor batting cages and then returned to face the Marlins with the same form that allowed him to enter the 2009 season as the game's top right-handed pitching prospect.
Reigning National League Rookie of the Year Chris Coghlan began the bottom of the first with a single. Then, following a sacrifice bunt, Hanley Ramirez directed a broken-bat single back up the middle for an RBI single. From there, Hanson kept the Marlins scoreless and limited them to just three more hits.
Hanson, who is scheduled to make his regular-season debut against the Cubs on April 8, is to make three more starts in the exhibition season.
His final preseason tuneup against the White Sox on April 2 at Turner Field will likely consist of three or four innings.
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Source: MLB.com