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Inbox: How have White Sox helped Hansen improve?
- Updated: August 18, 2016
There were a couple of notable firsts from No. 1 overall Draft picks Wednesday, neither of which came with the team that originally selected them. Dansby Swanson (2015, Diamondbacks) and went 2-for-4 for the Braves in a 10-3 loss to the Twins. Suffice it to say that the Shelby Miller trade isn’t looking any better for Arizona.
At a much lower rung on the baseball ladder, Brady Aiken (2014, Astros) earned his first professional win by allowing one run in five innings while striking out six for Class A Short-Season Mahoning Valley. Aiken, whose deal with Houston fell apart over concerns regarding his elbow, wound up having Tommy John surgery before the Indians made him the 17th overall choice in 2015. He’s now 1-4 with a 6.42 ERA in 11 pro outings this year, with a K/BB ratio (42/18 in 32 innings) that’s more promising than his record.
@jimcallisMLB @MLBPipeline @MLBDraft @MLB how about the start for Alec Hansen? What have the White Sox improved with him since the Spring?
— R P 3 (@RP3sViews) August 17, 2016
@jimcallisMLB @MLBPipeline @MLBDraft @MLB how about the start for Alec Hansen? What have the White Sox improved with him since the Spring?
A right-hander, Hansen entered the 2016 season as a candidate to go No. 1 overall in the Draft, but those chances disappeared when he couldn’t find the strike zone and pitched himself out of Oklahoma’s rotation. Though he went 3-5 with a 5.40 ERA with 39 walks in 51 2/3 innings, his pure stuff still was impressive enough for the White Sox to take him in the second round and sign him for $1.2 million.
Chicago decided to keep things simple for Hansen in his introduction to pro ball, having him focus on staying taller in his delivery and getting the ball out of his glove more quickly. Those changes have helped him produce video-game numbers between two Rookie leagues: 1.19 ERA, 57/13 K/BB ratio, .100 opponent average in 37 2/3 innings. He can sit in the mid 90s with his fastball and wipe out hitters with his slider, so if Hansen can keep throwing strikes like this, he could be a steal for the White Sox.
@jimcallisMLB @MLBPipeline @MLBDraft …
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