Nov 04 2008
Hanson may be Braves’ top prospect, but do you include him in Peavy deal?
By Bud L. Ellis
braves.today.com
ATLANTA — The trade talk surrounding a potential Jake Peavy to the Braves deal continues to swirl.
And ultimately, when the Braves sit down with the Padres and get to the nitty-gritty of determining the package it will take to bring the 27-year-old hard-throwing Alabama native to Turner Field, the name Tommy Hanson is going to emerge.
The Padres already have scouted a couple of the right-hander’s starts in the Arizona Fall League. Certainly, they have to like what they see.
Labeling a prospect with the dreaded “can’t miss” tag is dangerous in and of itself, even more so for a pitcher, who conventional wisdom dictates is one injury away from never making an impact in the major leagues.
But with that caveat out there, everything points to Hanson being a dynamite hurler in the bigs … and soon.
Following a season in which he went 3-1 at Single-A Myrtle Beach and 8-4 at Double-A Mississippi, Hanson is the apple of the Padres’ eye as they look at the Braves’ farm system. San Diego GM Kevin Towers has stated he wants a great young pitcher in return, and Hanson fits that bill perfectly.
The 22-year-old, 6-foot-6 Hanson throws a mid-90s fastball, a big bending curve ball, and a really sharp slider. He’s also working on a change-up. The numbers back up his stuff: Hanson struck out 49 hitters in 40 innings at Myrtle Beach, and fanned 114 in 98 innings at Mississippi, including 14 punchouts in a no-hitter for the M-Braves on June 25 against Birmingham.
So far in Arizona, Hanson is 3-0 in four starts with 19 Ks in 13 2/3 innings.
If you’re the Braves, and you’ve already got a stable of young pitchers in Charlie Morton, Jo-Jo Reyes and James Parr, who figure to compete for a roster spot next spring, what do you do when the Padres say they have to have Hanson in the deal?
Tough call, but again, in Peavy you’re getting a warhorse who’s proven he can win and win big in the bigs. I think if it comes down to it, you have to include Hanson, as long as you don’t have to include Yunel Escobar.
What, you say? Escobar is a proven major-league shortstop. Hanson hasn’t thrown an inning in the bigs.
My point is I would balk at putting both in the deal. As I opined earlier, I would fight like heck to keep Escobar out of the deal, even if the Padres offer Khalil Greene to come to Atlanta along with Peavy.
Part of the reasoning in including super-phenom shortstop Elvis Andrus in the Mark Teixeira deal at the 2007 trade deadline was you had Escobar waiting for his chance to lock up shortstop for the next decade. He’s certainly proven he can be a successful major-leaguer, and by not having Esco at short next season would mean the Braves would have to fill another hole this offseason.
That’s not what the Braves need to do. As talented and as promising as Hanson is, I think if it comes down to it, you send the minor-league star west, and not the emerging major-league star, in return for Peavy.
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