Alec Hansen had White Sox fans dreaming in 2017. Pitching at three different levels in the minors, Hansen’s strikeout rates increased from Kannapolis (11.39 K/9 IP) to Winston-Salem (12.65) and Birmingham (14.81), resulting in a grand total of 191 strikeouts in 141⅓ innings. There was a thought that the 2016 second-round pick’s prospect status was higher than those of first-round picks Zack Collins and Zack Burdi.
It appeared that Hansen was in range to join the White Sox and make his major league debut late 2018 if he could duplicate his 2017 success. Instead, Hansen suffered a forearm injury during spring training, costing him April and May. When Hansen did rejoin the Birmingham Barons, he wasn’t the same pitcher. Struggling at times to hit 90 mph on his fastball, he lost all command of his pitches and couldn’t get deep into starts. Those troubles led to a demotion, and Hansen finished 2018 with Winston-Salem, a far cry from the progress he made in 2017.
Beginning in 2019, Hansen has been an afterthought when drawing up future White Sox contending rosters during this rebuilding phase. Once penciled in as part of a starting rotation along with Michael Kopech and Dylan Cease, there was just concern that maybe 2017 was the aberration. Hansen was considered to be the top draft prospect before the 2016 season, only to struggle mightily at Oklahoma his junior season.
In response to his struggles, the White Sox made the somewhat shocking decision to move Hansen to the bullpen. Perhaps shorter outings would allow him to discover his rhythm on the mound again, and maybe converting Hansen into a reliever would enable him to find his 2017 form for an inning or two. There’s still great value for the White Sox if Hansen could pull the transition off, and seeing how the current White Sox bullpen is pitching, it might be the faster route to the majors.
After his appearance on April 26 against Frederick Keys, the Baltimore Orioles High-A affiliate, Hansen has pitched in seven games covering ten innings. Over that span, Hansen has struck out 18 hitters to just two walks, and has only allowed one hit. That's pure domination, and after watching his most recent scoreless two-inning outing, it appears 2017 Hansen has made a return.
Speaking with Winston-Salem Dash pitching coach, Matt Zaleski, he buys into the idea that Hansen is close to his 2017 form.
“I think some of his bad performance had to do with the injury he ended up having in spring training,” said Zaleski.
“Not trusting himself after that injury being able to let the ball go. Delivery got a bit more closed than he usually was to where he is this year. He’s back to where he was in 2017 from a delivery standpoint which is exactly where he needs to be.”
TrackMan was unavailable at Winston-Salem due to technical difficulties that Friday night, but luckily there was Josh Norris from Baseball America watching along with his radar gun.
Getting a view behind home plate, you can see the downward plane that Hansen gets on his fastball, which is vital for a pitcher his size (6’7”). Hansen was able to move the fastball around the zone elevating it when needed and still ready to hit his target on the outside corner.
While the fastball velocity is returning, the curve is Hansen’s out pitch, and that might have been more impressive than his fastball. It has tight spin that funnels well with his fastball, not allowing hitters the opportunity to sit back and wait for the pitch.
It’s a small-sample-size viewing, but speaking with Dash personnel, that Friday night is how Hansen has looked in each outing. That raises the question whether Hansen is ready for more extended outings to see this level of dominance continues. That’s a decision out of Zaleski’s hands, with Chris Getz making the call as part of his director of player development job.
“His mindset works well for starting or relieving. Hansen’s not one that needs to have his scheduled day to pitch, and he’s been handling the reliever spot well mentally,” said Zaleski.
If the White Sox decide that Hansen fits best coming out of the bullpen, it will erase any dreams from 2017 of him helping lead a starting rotation. Instead, it may create a new vision of watching Hansen trotting out of the bullpen to handle high leverage situations in the majors. Keeping up his recent run of dominance may put Hansen back on the fast track to the majors from which he was derailed.
