Tommy Hanson: Winless but dominating
Throughout the season we’ll take a look at some of the top players in the minor leagues with Oklahoma connections. Here’s a look at some of the young pitchers working their way through their respective farm clubs.
Tommy Hanson, RHP, Atlanta (Tulsa)
Hanson’s Oklahoma connections are thin. He was born in Tulsa but never played high school baseball here. Still, we’ll list him anyway because he’s so intriguing.
The No. 1 prospect in Atlanta’s farm system, Hanson’s MLB debut has been eagerly anticipated by everyone from Bravo fans to fantasy nerds. The wait may be worth it as Hanson has been dominating even though he is 0-2 in three starts. Hanson’s ERA is a very low 2.45 and he has 23 strikeouts in 14.2 innings of work in Triple-A. Atlanta believes Hanson is a future ace and he may get to show it soon if someone in their current rotation falters. Either way, there’s little chance Hanson stays in the minors all season.
Bobby Bundy, RHP, Baltimore (Sperry HS)
The No. 15-ranked prospect in the Orioles system according to Baseball America, Bundy was an eighth round pick in last summer’s draft and received the largest signing bonus of anyone in that round ($600,000).
Bundy looks slated to start the season where he finished, with the Gulf Coast Orioles or with Aberdeen (A-ball). He pitched in two games last summer after the draft with a 9.00 ERA.
Parker Frazier, RHP, Colorado (Bishop Kelley)
Frazier was an eighth round pick in 2007 and has steadily developed. He also has good genes. His uncle was a football star at the University of Tulsa and his dad is former big league pitcher George Frazier who is also the Rockies TV color guy.
Frazier was ticketed for the Rockies Single-A affiliate, Ashville of the Gulf Coast League. The 20-year-old is 0-2 with a 6.06 ERA over 16 innings. Frazier has yet to pitch in a full season league so given the Rockies cautious approach it will be worth watching how this year plays out. Maybe the best stat of Frazier’s career is his low walk rate. Prior to this season he walked just 38 in 132 innings.
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Comments
Bundy will reap the benefits of a loaded minor league pitching staff and most likely will be given every chance to succeed. The plethora of young pitching talent (Matusz, Tillman, Arrieta, Bergensen, Erbe, Hernandez, Patton, Mickolio, Beato) only a year or two away will allow him to mature and be brought along slowly. Look forward to having an Okie on the team eventually though.
As soon as the Braves figure out it’s best to keep Jo-Jo Reyes AWAY from a pitcher’s mound, the quicker Hansonw will be called up.