CRAIG HANSEN

11/15/83; '05 1st (Boston); St. John's Univ.
R/R; 6-6, 210

Level
W-L-Sv
G
GS
IP
H
 HR
BB
K
 BB/9
K/9
WHIP
OAVG
ERA
2005 AL (Bos)
0-0-0
4
0
3.0
6
 1
1
3
 3.0
9.0
2.33
.429
6.00
2005 AA (Bos)
0-0-1
8
0
9.2
9
 0
1
10
 0.9
9.3
1.04
.243
0.00
2005 R (Bos)
1-0-0
2
1
3.0
2
 0
0
4
 0.0
12.0
0.67
.182
0.00
2006 AL (Bos)
2-2-0
38
0
38.0
46
 5
15
30
 3.6
7.1
1.61
.305
6.63
2006 AAA (Bos)
1-2-0
14
4
36.0
31
 0
19
26
 4.8
6.5
1.39
.238
2.75
2006 AA (Bos)
1-0-0
5
0
11.0
4
 0
4
12
 3.3
9.8
0.73
.105
0.82
2007 AAA (Bos)
3-1-3
40
0
51.1
58
 2
32
48
 5.6
8.4
1.75
.275
3.86
2008 AL (Bos)
1-3-2
32
0
30.2
29
 2
23
25
 6.6
7.5
1.67
.240
5.58
2008 NL
1-4-1
16
0
15.2
11
 1
20
7
 11.5
4.0
1.98
.200
7.47
2008 AAA (Bos)
1-0-0
11
0
16.2
6
0
5
17
2.7
9.2
0.66
.107
1.62
2008 AAA
0-0-0
2
0
2.0
4
0
1
2
4.5
9.0
2.50
.500
9.00
2009 NL
0-0-0
5
0
6.1
6
1
4
5
5.7
7.1
1.58
.240
5.68

Hansen was part of a trend in recent years for teams to draft college closers with the idea that they can reach the majors quickly. A lot of these guys, such as Hansen, Joey Devine and Royce Ring, have struggled at least initially. The Pirates' own venture into that territory with Dan Moskos hasn't exactly been a smashing success so far, either. It's always puzzled me why pitchers who, by definition, have less experience would be expected to reach the majors sooner.

When the Red Sox drafted Hansen, he featured a mid-90s fastball and a great slider. The slider deserted him immediately upon his turning pro. He's also had significant problems commanding his fastball. Hansen may have contributed to the problems himself by tinkering often with his mechanics. In late 2007, however, he started pitching better and continued doing so in early 2008. After he came up to the majors, though, the control problems resumed. If there's a good sign, it's that the walks have been most of the problem. He's been hard to hit and his K rate has been decent. He's never been easy to take out of the park, as he's allowed only two minor league HRs.

The Pirates acquired Hansen in the three-way deal involving Jason Bay. They also picked up Brandon Moss from the Red Sox, and Andy LaRoche and Bryan Morris from the Dodgers. Hansen immediately joined the Pirates' bullpen and what little control of his pitches he had immediately deserted him. The numbers tell the entire story. The Pirates finally sent him to AAA in late August, but he threw only two innings there and came back up for September. He actually managed a three-inning stretch in which he didn't walk anybody, but he followed that by walking six in a stretch of two and a third innings. After he blew a hard-fought, extra-inning game on September 18 by walking three in a third of an inning, the Pirates didn't use him again.

As an aside, it's interesting that all of the major league players the Pirates acquired in the Bay trade played much worse after joining the Pirates. Hansen and LaRoche went from struggling to falling apart entirely, while Moss went from playing well to struggling. Moving to a losing environment, especially in the midst of the collapse that the Pirates suffered after Bay and Xavier Nady were traded, may have some seriously debilitating effects. In any event, the Pirates faced a difficult situation with Hansen going into spring training. He had no options left, but he clearly was not at a point where he could pitch adequately in the majors. Aside from that, in spring training his velocity was down. The explanation at the time seemed to be that he could control his pitches better that way, but early in the season he went on the DL with a neck injury. The problem was eventually diagnosed as Parsonage-Turner Syndrome, a rare nerve disorder that weakens the muscles in the affected area, the right shoulder in Hansen's case. Recovery is likely, but the time period for it can be anywhere from six months to five years. Probably due to the uncertainty, the Pirates outrighted him to AAA shortly after the season.  It was the first time Hansen was removed from a 40-man roster, so he won't have the option of becoming a free agent if he clears waivers.  He's a safe bet to be at Indianapolis if he gets healthy as it's hard to imagine any team claiming him.

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