The Braves rookie has become the team's "stopper."
When Atlanta called Hanson up to make his Major League debut against the Milwaukee Brewers on June 7th, expectations were sky high from people all over the league. The heralded righty turned in a rather sub par performance that day, but since then has been very R.O.Y.-esque.
His next start against Baltimore he allowed 2 earned runs, and those would be the last two he has given up to date. His consecutive scoreless inning streak is up to 21, which is no small feat for any pitcher, much less a rookie. Those 21 innings have come against some pretty solid offenses such as the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox. Ever heard of those teams?
What most people have already forgotten, is that Hanson is the main reason that Tom Glavine was cut. Some blamed it on those tight wads at Liberty Mutual, and the one million dollars that would have been owed Glavine had he been placed on the active roster. The real story was, Atlanta needed a fifth starter. Jo-Jo Reyes had been getting drummed every outing and Kris Medlen was a stopgap until the decision was made between the two Tommy's. Braves management deemed Hanson the most suited to fill out the rotation, and so far, he has made them look pretty smart.
Hanson is now 4-0 with a 2.48 ERA in the five starts he has made. Even though his walk total has been high(17BB in 29IP), the young Tommy has shown an incredible ability to get out of trouble. He has left an incredible number of guys on base, one of the biggest factors in his success. At first I thought he was getting quite lucky, but as he continued to work in and out of trouble, I started drinking the Tommy Hanson Kool-Aid.
His calm demeanor on the hill gives him the appearance of a 20 year veteran. This poise is also what helped him so much when he kept finding New York Yankees on the bases every inning of his start against the Evil Empire. In a sport with as many ups and downs over the course of a long, gruelling schedule, Hanson's level-headedness could prove to be his most important tool.
While Hanson is a long way from being mentioned in the same breath as Josh Beckett, Johan Santana, and Roy Hallday, a Rookie of the Year Award is certainly not out of reach. If he continues to get Wins that stop losing streaks as he did today and on June 18 against the Reds(both 4 game streaks), he will soon be known as Atlanta's "stopper." Much like the two future Hall of Famers that had their tenure's ended in a Braves uniform recently.
Keywords: Atlanta Braves, Tom Glavine, Tommy Hanson
