Alen Hanson was signed by the Pirates as a teenager way back in 2009, so it probably feels like he’s been around forever. I guess this post is my way of saying I hope you didn’t fall asleep on him, as he’s finally getting close to the major leagues. Don’t get me wrong – he won’t be up anytime soon with Neil Walker established at second base, but we could see Hanson take over at the keystone in 2016. There are a couple of factors that I think have made Hanson an underrated fantasy prospect. One is that he’s simply in a loaded system. The Pirates have one of the best farms in baseball. The other is that he falters on traditional prospect lists thanks to concerns over his defense as well as his makeup. So why does Hanson raise my Jolly Roger? Let’s take a closer look in this week’s profile…
| 2015 Prospect List | Ranking |
|---|---|
| Razzball | #6 |
| Baseball America | #7 |
| Baseball Prospectus | #8 |
| Fangraphs | #8 |
Minor League Statistics
| Year | Age | Level | PA | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB% | K% | SB | CS | AVG | OBP | SLG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | 19 | A | 558 | 99 | 151 | 33 | 13 | 16 | 62 | 9.9% | 18.8% | 35 | 19 | .309 | .381 | .528 |
| 2013 | 20 | A+/AA | 559 | 64 | 138 | 27 | 13 | 8 | 58 | 7.3% | 17.2% | 30 | 16 | .274 | .329 | .427 |
| 2014 | 21 | AA | 527 | 64 | 135 | 21 | 12 | 11 | 58 | 5.9% | 16.7% | 25 | 11 | .280 | .326 | .442 |
| 2015 | 22 | AAA | 188 | 24 | 49 | 5 | 5 | 2 | 19 | 6.9% | 17.0% | 14 | 5 | .290 | .337 | .414 |
In my Pirates Top 10 Fantasy Prospects writeup this offseason, I mentioned that Hanson seems to get dinged for his defense at shortstop (more specifically his arm) and his makeup (he was benched a few times for lack of hustle/not “getting along” with his manager). To the first concern I say “Who cares?” since as long as Hanson is playing one of the two middle infield positions his offensive production is going to be valuable. In other words, a move to second base off of shortstop – where his defense will likely play just fine – doesn’t make me like him any less if I’m primarily interested in his bat.
As far as the makeup, it’s one of the things I pay the least attention to when looking at fantasy prospects. Jorge Soler charged a dugout with a baseball bat, and I don’t remember anybody citing that as a “concern” coming into this season. So I’m not going to let a lack of hustle scare me off of a potential asset on my fantasy farm. He’s 22 years old after all, and there are much worse things Hanson could be doing on the “bad makeup” wheel of offenses.
Let’s look at what he’s done so far this year. First off, Hanson is already in Triple-A as a 22-year-old. He’s about four years younger than the average age and one of the 20 youngest players at that level. He’s hitting .290 with a pair of homers and 14 stolen bases in 19 attempts. Those are good numbers by themselves, and they support the grades he gets on his tools in most scouting reports: plus speed, average-to-plus pop, and an average-to-plus hit tool. I’ll take a .270+ hitter with around 12 homers and 20+ steals from my middle infield all day long, and I don’t think those numbers are a stretch at all for Hanson.
With each new level, Hanson’s walk rates and strikeout rates have remained stable (~7% walk rate and 17% strikeout rate) despite being on the younger side of the competition. Throw in the fact that he’s a switch hitter and has shown decent numbers from both sides of the plate (.290 LvR/.270 RvL) and we’ve got a nice, offensive-minded second baseman that will have a lot of value in fantasy.
As far as his position, Hanson seems to have made the move over to second full time. Maybe it’s partly due to the signing of Jung Ho Kang and the fact that Neil Walker is set to enter his final year of arbitration in 2016, but Hanson has played 41 of 42 games at second base this year, committing three errors. Hanson will likely spend all year in Indianapolis putting polish on his game, but this might be a good time to mention that Neil Walker has missed at least 20 games in each of the past three seasons. A brief audition in the majors at some point this year isn’t out of the question for Hanson, and he’s already on the 40-man roster.
What’s the Move?
Dynasty league owners should check on the availability of Hanson either on the wire or via trade. Maybe I’m not reading the general fantasy population’s pulse correctly, but he still seems to be flying under the radar. In deeper NL-only leagues (especially keepers) Hanson is a great stash. He could run into some playing time this year with an injury or trade, and with the 29-year-old Walker entering his final year of arbitration eligibility, Hanson could take the reins at second base in Pittsburgh as soon as next year.
