Former Braves pitcher Tommy Hanson dead at 29
Former Atlanta Braves pitcher Tommy Hanson died due to catastrophic organ failure on Monday night, according to multiple reports.
The news comes as a huge shock to the baseball world. Though Hanson had not pitched in the majors since 2013, he was still an active player. Hanson spent the 2015 season in the San Francisco Giants minor-league system. He was pitching off a mound just a few weeks ago.
Details surrounding Hanson’s death are unclear at this time. It was first reported early Monday that Hanson was in a coma at a local Atlanta hospital. The Angels sent out a tweet shortly after the report broke sending their thoughts to Hanson, but did not provide any details about the situation.
Klein later reported that Hanson had suffered “catastrophic organ failure,” and that the situation was dire.
A few hours later, Klein reported that Hanson had died. The Braves later confirmed that report. Hanson was 29 years old.
Hanson spent four of his five major-league seasons as a member of the Braves. He came up through the organization and showed promise immediately, ranking fourth overall on Baseball America’s top prospect list prior to the 2009 season.
Hanson made his debut that season and was sensational. As a 22-year-old, Hanson posted a 2.89 ERA over 21 starts. He finished third in the Rookie of the Year voting.
Hanson experienced two more strong seasons with Atlanta before shoulder woes struck. Hanson spent time on the disabled list twice in 2011 due to a shoulder impingement in his throwing arm. He was able to return the following season, but wasn’t the same pitcher.
Following the 2012 season, he was traded to the Los Angeles Angels. Hanson struggled with the club, posting a 5.42 ERA over 73 innings.
His only season with Los Angeles was difficult for Hanson off the field as well. Early in the year, Hanson’s younger stepbrother died. Hanson spent three weeks away from the club mourning his death. He told Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times he had a tough time dealing with the loss.
“I was having mental issues with the death of my younger brother,” said Hanson, 26, two years older than his deceased brother. “I was just trying to get through it. I didn’t know how to handle it.
“That was the first time anything like that had ever happened to me. I didn’t know how to cope with it.”
After the 2013 season, Hanson signed on with the Chicago White Sox. He posted a 6.16 ERA over 49 2/3 innings with the team’s Triple-A club. He signed on with the Giants prior to the 2015 season in order to continue his comeback.
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Chris Cwik is a writer for Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Chris_Cwik
