203 replies to this topic

[PedroSpecialK]

Biography

Full name: Craig Hansen
Height: 6' 5"
Weight: 185 lb.
Born: November 15, 1983
Hometown: Glen Cove, NY
Bats: Right
Throws: Right
High School: Glen Cove HS (NY)
College: St. John's
Drafted: Boston Red Sox (1st round, 26th overall), 2005 amateur entry draft

Career Stats

Year   Age   Level   W   L   ERA   G   IP   K/9   BB/9   K/BB   WHIP 
2004   20    NCAA    2   2   2.90  31 40.3 13.17  3.57   3.69   1.21
2005   21    NCAA    3   2   1.68  31 64.3 11.93  2.80   4.25   0.90
2005   21    GCL     1   0   0.00  2  3.0  12.00  0.00   Inf.   0.67
2005   21    AA      0   0   0.00  8  9.6  9.31   0.10   10.0   1.03
2005   21    MLB     0   0   6.00  4  3.0  9.00   3.00   3.00   2.33

Scouting

-Mid-to-High 90s fastball
-Excellent high 80s to 90 MPH slider
-Very low BB rate and WHIP rate for reliever
-Will likely start season in AAA

[PedroSpecialK]

It seems that the Sox are stretching Hansen out to 2-3 inning stints to at least start the year to focus on his changeup for a bit. I personally believe they could be preparing him to be a starter, though that is very highly unlikely.

[Lucen]

It seems that the Sox are stretching Hansen out to 2-3 inning stints to at least start the year to focus on his changeup for a bit. I personally believe they could be preparing him to be a starter, though that is very highly unlikely.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

As has been pointed out before around here, with his delivery, I'd fear what the wear and tear of starting would do to his arm. Maybe part of the reason they started him in Portland was to rework his delivery? Has something like that been done before with someone who had the kind of college success and minor's dominance as Hansen? I know pitchers have reworked their delivery when they've struggled, but he hasn't really struggled yet.

I'm looking forward to seeing reports about him this season. Portland is coming to New Britain to play the Rock Cats Monday through Wednesday. I'm gonna see if I can figure out when he's supposed to pitch and try to grab a few tickets. They're only 5 bucks a pop.

Edit: Does anyone know where I can find a list of his scheduled appearances? I'd be grateful for a PM with that info.

Edited by Lucen, 06 April 2006 - 09:42 PM.

[PedroSpecialK]

Hansen shut down Connecticut tonight, spinning two perfect innings with three strikeouts.

Box Score

[Lucen]

I can't find his schedule so I'm actually going to go to all three games. Hopefully I'll get a chance to talk to him before one of the games if I get there early enough and get lucky. If I pick up on anything noteworthy, I'll post it here. Are there any SOSHers in the New Britain area who are gonna be at the games?

[Lucen]

OK, I got to see him pitch tonight in New Britain. He got two full innings of work in and it's obvious that he's not concerned with his heat or slider. He threw a lot of pitches in the low 80's which indicates he was throwing the change up. It's great that he's working on it, but it's going to need a bit more work. The velocity seemed to fluctuate from 79 to 84 and there wasn't a whole lot of break to it.

He hit 94 on the gun once, and his heater seemed to hang out at around 90-92 with his slider at about 87. He also had some control issues with the first batter, throwing a few fastballs in the dirt and then hitting him. After that he settled down, but wasn't exactly sharp. Didn't allow any runs, but got into two jams. But again, he threw mostly change ups. When he ramped it up, the hitters had trouble catching up.

It's nice to see him working on that change up. It'll serve him well in the majors if he can master it. But for now, it's a work in progress. If he's still with the team in May when they come back to New Britain, I'm going to enjoy comparing tonight's performance to what he does then.

Edit: I forgot to talk about his delivery. It seems he's throwing the same way he did last year, with that severe whip like motion in his arm. There didn't seem to be any effort to generate more torque from the hips to lessen the strain on his elbow, and if anything, his hip rotation appeared to be an afterthought. It was as if he was just using his legs to get his shoulders around and squared up so he could throw the ball toward the plate, rather than trying to generate drive with his legs. His throwing motion still looks very violent.

Edited by Lucen, 11 April 2006 - 11:49 PM.

[Cuzittt]

Allowed three ER and had 2 walks. 

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

2 Hits, 3 Walks, 1 HBP, 0 Runs. Got out of 2 Bases-Loaded situations.

I'm sure that is what you meant to type.

-Brandon

[Lucen]

2 Hits, 3 Walks, 1 HBP, 0 Runs. Got out of 2 Bases-Loaded situations.

I'm sure that is what you meant to type.

-Brandon

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Whoops, I slipped on the line I read after getting back. It was a long night and I trusted what I thought I read over my beer laden memory. Sorry... I'll edit it.

[templeUsox]

He hit 94 on the gun once, and his heater seemed to hang out at around 90-92 with his slider at about 87. He also had some control issues with the first batter, throwing a few fastballs in the dirt and then hitting him. After that he settled down, but wasn't exactly sharp. Didn't allow any runs, but got into two jams. But again, he threw mostly change ups. When he ramped it up, the hitters had trouble catching up

Thank you, Lucen. I was trying to look for this info all night and you are the only one who actually realized it was an important point to recount. Nice report.

[Cuzittt]

Thank you, Lucen.  I was trying to look for this info all night and you are the only one who actually realized it was an important point to recount.  Nice report.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

More information for you... from my Gameday Report:

Hansen went 2 innings, giving up 2 hits. 3 walks and a HBP... but somehow getting out of consecutive bases-loaded innings to allow no runs. Hansen struck out one. Hansen was nowhere near as effective as he was on Thursday. His first pitch went to the backstop (and immediately caromed back into fair play)... and then on his 4th pitch, he hit a batter with another ball that went to the backstop. (I've seen more balls thrown to the backstop by Hansen over 2 appearances, I think I may nickname him Choate). He was then able to get a nifty Double Play, started with an excellent play by David Bacani. Hansen then gave up a solid single, a ground ball to Chad Spann that Chad came in on like he had never played 3rd in his life (the second consecutive game I've seen him do an ole - a nice play by Keoni De Renne kept the runners at 1st and 2nd)... and then anothe solid single loaded the bases. Hansen was then able to enduce a dribbler to third to get the 3rd out on a bang-bang play. Hansen started the second inning strongly before walking the bases loaded. He was then able to enduce a grounder to 1st and got the putout on another bang-bang play. He then left to a smattering of applause from the frozen crowd that had come to see him. Much of the crowd then left to go to the warmth of their cars. Although I don't believe the umps did a great job tonight, Hansen really was throwing a bunch of balls. Many were up and away. He topped out at 94 on his second pitch of the game. He still has much work to go to get his secondary pitches at a decent level.

-Brandon

Edited by Cuzittt, 12 April 2006 - 09:44 AM.

[PedroSpecialK]

Hansen update:

YTD Stats:
3 GP
6 IP
3 H
3 BB
7 K
0.00 ERA

So far they've been throwing him out there in 2 inning stints with good results.

[PedroSpecialK]

A 2 IP, 0 H, 1-1 K-BB outing brings Hansen's stats to:

4 G
8 IP
8-4 K-BB
3 H
0.00 ERA

[PedroSpecialK]

Hansen had 3 more solid innings last night, but gave up his first ER in the minor leagues. He K'd 4 and gave up just one hit, a double for Rafael Alvarez.

His YTD Line: 5 g, 11 IP, 0.82 ERA, 12-4 K-BB, 4 H.

[PedroSpecialK]

http://pawsox.com/team/player_moves/

Hansen promoted to AAA and is expected to throw 3 innings of relief tonight.

[Cuzittt]

Hansen promoted to AAA and is expected to throw 3 innings of relief tonight.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Tomorrow night. They already played today.

-Brandon

[PedroSpecialK]

Tomorrow night. They already played today.

-Brandon

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Ah yes, I just saw the minor league gamethread, thanks for the correction.

[PedroSpecialK]

Hansen has a solid outing his first time out in Pawtucket tonight, going 2.1 innings, striking out two, walking two, and reportedly hitting 98 on the radar gun.

All is going well for Hansen - I look for him to be called up before July 1 if he keeps this up.

[PedroSpecialK]

Hansen got roughed up last night, posting a line of 2.1IP, 4H, 5R, 3ER, 1BB, 1K.

YTD in AAA: 4.2 IP, 4 H, 5 R, 3 ER, 3 BB, 3K and a 5.79 ERA.

[PedroSpecialK]

Hansen had a decent outing, going 3.1 IP, giving up 1 H, 2 K, 4 BB, and 0 R. He really needs to get his walks under control though, having a 5-7 K-BB rate in AAA thus far.

YTD Stats in AAA:

3 G
8 IP
3.38 ERA
5 H
7 BB
5 K

[PedroSpecialK]

Hansen's most recent outing was likely his best in AAA: 4 IP, 4 K, 0 BB, 5 H - I would not mind seeing that in 6 inning stretches for Hansen by the end of the year. Looks like the transition to SP is going along rather smoothly.

YTD in AAA:

4 G (1 GS)
12 IP
2.25 ERA
9 K
7 BB
10 H

If he can get the walks down, watch out - he has shown the ability to overpower hitters without refining his breaking stuff in the high minors as is, but with better control and good breaking pitches he could be special.

Edited by PedroSpecialK, 18 May 2006 - 09:54 PM.

[bosox4283]

Is Hansen's move to SP a temporary thing? Is it an experiment? Are the Red Sox now projecting him as a starter?

I completely missed this decision. Please fill me in. Thanks.

[PedroSpecialK]

Is Hansen's move to SP a temporary thing? Is it an experiment? Are the Red Sox now projecting him as a starter?

I completely missed this decision. Please fill me in. Thanks.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

It seems as if they're converting him to starter - he has started twice in AAA now (last night with 3.2 IP, 2 ER, 5 H, 4 K, and 3 BB), so this looks like more than an attempt to get him to master his secondary pitches - I believe he's being groomed to pitch a starter's workload, though it's likely an experiment that will be decided after a couple months of 4-5 IP starts.

YTD in AAA:

5 G (2 GS)
15.2 IP
2.87 ERA
13 K
9 BB
15 H

[PedroSpecialK]

Tonight in a 4-0 Pawtucket win, Hansen went 4 IP, giving up 0 R, 1 H, 4 BB, and striking out 3. The 4 walks is quite troubling, imo, because it shows me that he still has not mastered the control and use of his secondary pitches.

YTD:
6G (3 GS)
19.2 IP
2.29 ERA
16 K
13 BB
16 H

[Crazy Puppy]

...it shows me that he still has not mastered the control and use of his secondary pitches.

Indeed: 70 pitches, only 36 strikes.

[AlNipper49]

Is Hansen's move to SP a temporary thing? Is it an experiment? Are the Red Sox now projecting him as a starter?

I completely missed this decision. Please fill me in. Thanks.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I always assumed they were using this as a semi-test but also to help build up some arm strength. Essentially he was going from a short season college life directly to the workload of a MLB player.

Personally, I'm not taking this as an official move to SP unless someone says something differently, even if he does spend all year dicking around with starting.

[PedroSpecialK]

Hansen came up for a spell with the Sox, giving up 1 earned in .2 innings.

Upon being sent back down, his first appearance was in relief as opposed to back in the rotation, and he vultured the win going 1 IP with an earned run.

[Jack Sox]

Some Hansen nuggets:

Relief pitcher Craig Hansen is one of the players involved. He struggled last season with the big club, was returned to Triple A Pawtucket at the end of the season, and will be in the big league camp, where he'll compete for a spot in the crowded bullpen.

"I would say last year didn't end up like I wanted it to, but overall, it was a good learning experience and I'll be able to pick up a lot of things for next season," said Hansen. "I was able to work things out this winter and improve. Just mental things, focusing, situational things, fundamentals, and all that."

Hansen admitted the game got too fast for him at times. The great slider he had shown at St. John's escaped him. He's trying to get back to the things that made him a first-round pick two years ago.

"I haven't been able to get to the slider," said Hansen. "I haven't been able to throw it the way I used to throw it. I'm working on that now. I've come along quite well. I fell behind on counts and it didn't give me the opportunity to throw it as an effective pitch."

Globe

[Again2004]

He appears to know his problem exactly.
That's good thing.
Hopefully he will contribute to the team by improving his command and refining slider.

[GoWhalers]

I would love to see Hansen turn it around. You could tell from watching him last year that he was throwing almost all fastballs and as a result his ERA and BB/9 skyrocketed from his rates in the minors. That slider misses bats and it's absolutely vital to his success at the major league level. If he could rediscover that and get some more innings under his belt at Pawtucket, he might become a decent pitcher at the major league level come the all-star break. It's all dependent on him finding that pitch.

[JakeRae]

I would love to see Hansen turn it around.  You could tell from watching him last year that he was throwing almost all fastballs and as a result his ERA and BB/9 skyrocketed from his rates in the minors.  That slider misses bats and it's absolutely vital to his success at the major league level.  If he could rediscover that and get some more innings under his belt at Pawtucket, he might become a decent pitcher at the major league level come the all-star break.  It's all dependent on him finding that pitch.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Agreed, with the caution that the All Star break is about the earliest I'd consider moving Hansen up. Even if he comes out of the gate as a dominant pitcher this year, I'd hope they give him a little time to hang out in AAA and get some consistency back in his life. Baseball players are creatures of habit, and Hansen has probably lost touch with the sort of routine that made him successful by moving around so much. I don't want to see him back in the majors until he is ready to step in and be a high-leverage set-up guy without struggling.

I'm still very much a Hansen optimist and think that once he pulls it all together, we're going to see the player that's been hyped by the Sox since the '05 draft. Based on the interview quoted above, it doesn't sound like he's been too scarred by his experiences, so hopefully rushing him didn't do anymore damage than setting him back about a year in his development.

[ScotianSox]

I would love to see Hansen turn it around.  You could tell from watching him last year that he was throwing almost all fastballs and as a result his ERA and BB/9 skyrocketed from his rates in the minors.  That slider misses bats and it's absolutely vital to his success at the major league level.  If he could rediscover that and get some more innings under his belt at Pawtucket, he might become a decent pitcher at the major league level come the all-star break.  It's all dependent on him finding that pitch.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I tend to think he had more problems than pitch selection. To me it seems like he genuinely struggled with control of his fastball. I suspect that poor control of his fastball put him behind in the count often, so he had to try to throw strikes and thus threw more fastballs. Throwing more fastballs shouldn't lead to an increase in BB/9 by itself, but having poor control would. If he does not find control, even with electric stuff he will never be a pitcher we need or want in our bullpen. Personally I think control can be harnessed to a degree (probably more so than teaching stuff) but it is the most vital part of pitching in the major leagues (where everybody has good stuff) and it mistakenly thought that it can be easily taught.

[PedroSpecialK]

Sorry about the absence in updates on Hansen, just remembered I had him and Pauley.

Year to date, Hansen has not looked real good. His numbers:

11g
14 IP
18 H
12 R
8 ER
14 K
10 BB
5.11 ERA, 9 K/9, 6.34 BB/9

The good news: 0 HR
The bad news: Even though his ERA is 5.11, his raw RA is 3/2 of that total - just an ugly line overall.

[wade boggs chicken dinner]

Hope no one minds, but for posterity's sake, cross-posting EV's last post from the Prospect's Climbers and Fallers thread:

After the infamous blowup game, Craig Hansen has cut his BB rate from .158 (BB/BFP) to .094 (in 20 IP versus 34 IP before). He's also cut his K rate from .211 to .094, though. OTOH, he's cut his SB / baserunner rate by a third, allowed no XBH vs. 1 and 0 HB vs. 1 -- the net result is that he's cut his CEX, which is my version of a FIP or DIPS ERA (Component ERA with league average BPA (BABIP) substituted for actual) from 4.95 to 4.17.

But wait, there's more. He's also cut his BPA from .429 to .154 (or .513 to .192 if you include ROE). Which means he's cut his Contextual (Component) ERA from -- wait for it -- 12.04 to 1.83.

To say that it's unclear just how much to make of this would be a sabermetric understatement.

Anyone happen to know how hard he's throwing these days?

[Marbleheader]

Yeah, the YTD doesn't really tell the story. He hasn't allowed a run in his last 5 or 6 appearances. He's only allowed 4 hits in 8 innings of work this month. He earned the win in his last outing on the 24th, pitching 2 innings, getting 4 ground outs, a pop up and a fly out. This is a guy that should hopefully get regular updates here.

[Crazy Puppy]

Yeah, the YTD doesn't really tell the story. He hasn't allowed a run in his last 5 or 6 appearances. He's only allowed 4 hits in 8 innings of work this month. He earned the win in his last outing on the 24th, pitching 2 innings, getting 4 ground outs, a pop up and a fly out. This is a guy that should hopefully get regular updates here.

As I mentioned in another thread, Hansen's May 5 appearance (0 IP, 3 H, 7 R, 3 ER, 1 BB) was the conclusion of a suspended game from 4/23, so it's not going to show up in his official May numbers. Just something to bear in mind when talking about trends and his monthly splits. He does have 8 scoreless IP since that appearance.

[PedroSpecialK]

YTD stats are looking much better due to (as was previously mentioned) Hansen's spectacular May, outside of the implosion on the 5th.

YTD:
14 G
18 IP
1-1, 2 Saves
19 H
15 K
12 BB
4.00 ERA
1.72 WHIP

Here's the most important part: 2.55 GB/FB Ratio. I can't tell you how valuable that is to a guy who's shown the ability to rack up huge K-totals.

May (Including May 5):
6 G
8 IP
1-0, 0 Saves
7 H
3 K
4 BB
3.38 ERA
1.38 WHIP

While he's not ripe for a callup just yet, he's been steadily improving, and if he can keep even close to that neighborhood of GB/FB, he's going to be a successful reliever even without 9 K/9.

[PedroSpecialK]

Hansen last pitched on May 26, going an inning giving up 3 hits, 1 earned, with no strikeouts or walks.

YTD:
15 G
19 IP
22 H
13 R (9 ER)
0 HR
15 K
12 BB
2.50 GB/FB

4.26 ERA
1.79 WHIP

It'll be very interesting to see if his groundball tendencies can continue in June while he attempts to regain the strikeout nature that made him so dominant at St. John's.

[PedroSpecialK]

Poor outing for Hansen back on the 29th, going .1 innings and yielding 2 H, 2 ER, and a walk while recording no strikeouts.

YTD:
16 g
19.1 IP
24 H
15 R (11 ER)
0 HR
15 K
13 BB
5.12 ERA

[mt8thsw9th]

Question, is Hansen out of options as of the beginning of 2009? I had originally assumed 2008, but I don't think an option was used in 2005.

[JakeRae]

Question, is Hansen out of options as of the beginning of 2009? I had originally assumed 2008, but I don't think an option was used in 2005.

I know this doesn't answer the question about 2005, but I'm pretty sure there is a rule that a player gets a 4th option year if they use their first 3 options in consecutive seasons.

[underhandtofirst]

Question, is Hansen out of options as of the beginning of 2009? I had originally assumed 2008, but I don't think an option was used in 2005.

Link from soxprospects.com has a list of the 40 man roster with options remaining (if any)

[Crazy Puppy]

Poor outing for Hansen back on the 29th, going .1 innings and yielding 2 H, 2 ER, and a walk while recording no strikeouts.

He left that game with "forearm cramping" and the Herald reported on June 1 that he was being shut down for a few days.

[PedroSpecialK]

Hansen made his return to the mound on Tuesday, going a scoreless inning with a hit and a strikeout against Richmond.

YTD:
17 G
20.1 IP
2 Saves
25 H
15 R (11 Earned)
0 HR
16 K
13 BB

4.87 ERA
1.87 WHIP
7.08 K/9
5.75 BB/9
2.46 GB/FB

[PedroSpecialK]

Hansen has been touched up in his last two outings, yielding an earned run in each with a combined line of 2 IP, 2 H, 2 ER, 3 BB, 1 SO. Not pretty stuff.

YTD:
19 G
22.1 IP
2 Saves
27 H
17 R (13 Earned)
0 HR
17 K
16 BB

5.24 ERA
1.93 WHIP
6.85 K/9
6.45 BB/9
2.57 GB/FB

[PedroSpecialK]

Another nightmarish streak for Hansen, having given up 8 ER in his last 7.1 innings, with serious command issues, yielding 7 walks to only 2 K in that stretch.

YTD:
1-1
5.68 ERA
25.1 IP
21 R (16 ER)
32 H
17 K
19 BB
He also gave up his first two homers of the year.

[DosEquisMatsuzaka]

At what point does Hansen stop being a prospect. It is pretty clear he is a shell of the pitcher drafted out of St Johns and labeled as almost ML ready

[PedroSpecialK]

At what point does Hansen stop being a prospect. It is pretty clear he is a shell of the pitcher drafted out of St Johns and labeled as almost ML ready

I feel the same way at times. There's no question that he still has the velocity and pure stuff that put him on the D-Back's list of possibilities for the #1 overall pick in 2005, but he's not even close to how he was at St. John's. The biggest difference from what I can tell is the complete absence of the slider that made him have two devastating, plus-MLB level pitches out of college. Hopefully he can turn it around, but it would have to be soon for him to have a future in this organization imho.

[PedroSpecialK]

3 ER in Hansen's last 4 appearances, but the last three are somewhat more encouraging: 4 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 3 K, 3 BB. He is still sporting an ugly 5.64 ERA and his peripherals aren't really encouraging either. It's looking more and more doubtful that he'll be able to help the Sox at the MLB level this season. Personally, I wouldn't be against him stretching out and starting for the last few months of the year, to get him innings to work on his stuff if nothing else.

YTD:
26 G
1-1
2 SV
5.64 ERA
30.1 IP
39 H
24 R (19 ER)
23 K
24 BB
2 HR
3.38 GB/FB - if he keeps this up it'll be quite possibly the worst pitching line with this sort of groundball efficiency I've ever seen. Perhaps the infield defense at Pawtucket is leaving something to be desired?

[Marbleheader]

He sucked again tonight. His development, or lack thereof, has gone from frustrating to troubling. He's the first minor leaguer to get the cap treatment this season.

[P'tucket, rhymes with...]

3 ER in Hansen's last 4 appearances, but the last three are somewhat more encouraging: 4 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 3 K, 3 BB. He is still sporting an ugly 5.64 ERA and his peripherals aren't really encouraging either. It's looking more and more doubtful that he'll be able to help the Sox at the MLB level this season. Personally, I wouldn't be against him stretching out and starting for the last few months of the year, to get him innings to work on his stuff if nothing else.


3.38 GB/FB - if he keeps this up it'll be quite possibly the worst pitching line with this sort of groundball efficiency I've ever seen. Perhaps the infield defense at Pawtucket is leaving something to be desired?

His BABIP is on the high side at .346 per first inning and the IF defense this year hasn't been stellar, although it's hard to chalk his problems up to the guys behind him with those peripherals.

I've actually been wondering if a stretch in Portland might be worthwhile to see if working with someone else might be helpful. He's been treading water (at best) in Pawtucket, and with Buchholz coming up, there's really no room for him in the starting rotation.