The Pittsburgh Pirates are a team that must live and die by its prospects. In a new series, PBD will project each of the team’s Top 20 prospects in 2017.
Welcome to a new recurring series here at Pirates Breakdown in which we count down and project the 2017 seasons for each of the Pittsburgh Pirates’ Top 20 prospects, ranked as per MLB Pipeline.
Today we look at the club’s #13 overall prospect – LHP Alen Hanson.
A quick note – MLB Pipeline and other prospect sites use a general term of “rookie eligibility” to determine if a play should still be listed as a prospect. Brault obviously spent time with the Pittsburgh Pirates last year, but is still considered a prospect.
MLB Pipeline uses the following criteria:
To be eligible for a list, a player must have rookie eligibility. To qualify for rookie status, a player must not have exceeded 130 at-bats or 50 innings pitched in the Major Leagues.
Prospect Primer
Alen Hanson signed with the Pirates out of the Dominican Republic in 2009. The Pirates fan base was energized by this signing and there was good reason. Hanson has great tools and a good baseball body. If you are looking for speed, glove work, hitting for average, and decent power for a 2nd baseman, Hanson has it. What does Hanson lack? Maturity, big time. Last season when injuries occurred, Hanson was frustrated that he did not receive the call to come up to the club. Over the ensuing months, that showed in a large way in not only his effort, but also his statistics. Hanson had a down year at AAA Indianapolis last year batting .263/.313/.387. We will take a look at what it would take for Hanson to see an everyday role in Pittsburgh.
Strengths
Mentioned above were some of the tools that Alen Hanson possesses. Hanson has all the intangibles and all the minor league experience that you could ask for. He has been in the Pirates system since 2010 and has had some nice seasons. In 2012 with West Virginia, Hanson compiled a .309/.381/.528 slash line. He also had 16 HR’s that season along with 62 RBI’s. Hanson also had an impressive 2014 campaign where his slash line read .280/.326/.442 with 11 HR’s and 58 RBI’s in Altoona.
One strength that sticks out when talking about Alen Hanson’s offensive game is his speed. Hanson takes long strides and has excellent burst speed. Hanson stole 36 bases last season in 51 attempts. While in 2014, Hanson stole 25 bases in 36 attempts. Hanson’s speed also couples nicely with his ability to hit for power. As mentioned above, Hanson has some nice pop in his bat for a 2nd baseman. Scouts grade him at an above average grade for power at the 2nd base position.
Areas of Improvement
Maturity. It is really that simple for Hanson. Hanson needs to show the organization that he is committed to their plan, not his own. Last season when players were called up from the Triple A roster that were different than himself, he would shut down. You would notice Hanson’s effort drop off tremendously. Not only that, other players and coaches would make notes about his morale. It was reported on heavily in the 2016 season. Due to Hanson’s contract and he being out of options, he will have to start the year in Pittsburgh or be put thru the waiver wire. Hopefully the Pirates front office has had a stern talk to the youngster about teamwork and morale this off-season.
Where He Starts 2017
Hanson will likely start the 2017 season a bench bat for the Pirates. He may get spot starts around the diamond in the occurrence of injuries or player slumps. It will be important for Hanson to show his commitment to the big picture in spring training. That could help build the trust needed to earn more playing time under Hurdle.
Where he ends 2017
If Josh Harrison gets hurt, that could open the door for Hanson. Hanson could also earn additional playing time thru utilizing his speed on the base paths. Hanson could be used in a Billy Hamilton type role for the Pirates. Do not misunderstand the aforementioned statement, he is not as fast as Hamilton, but he does have above average speed. Alen Hanson’s usage in 2017 for the Pirates will certainly be one to watch.
Image Credit – WEBN-TV (Flickr Creative Commons)
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