Jacob Hannemann Stats & Scouting Report

AB	20
AVG	.15
OBP	.15
SLG	.3
HR	1

Full name Jacob Howard Hannemann
Born 04/29/1991 in Kahuku, HI
Profile Ht.: 6'1" / Wt.: 200 / Bats: L / Throws: L
School Brigham Young
Debut 09/09/2017
Drafted in the 3rd round (75th overall) by the Chicago Cubs in 2013 (signed for $1,000,000).

View Draft Report

Drafted by the Royals in the 48th round out of high school in 2010, Hannemann headed to Brigham Young to play football and baseball. He went on his two-year Mormon mission in the spring of his freshman year, then showed his natural talent by hitting for the cycle in the team's fall alumni game when he returned. A cornerback for the football team, Hannemann is 6-foot-1 and 195 pounds with loose athleticism. He is a well above-average runner and has some work to do defensively, but he has the tools and instincts to stay in center field, though his arm grades out at the bottom of the scouting scale. A lefthanded hitter, he has a compact swing with natural strength. He needs to work on his pitch recognition, but has performed well considering he was away from the game for two years. Scouts love his makeup and intensity on the field. Already 22, Hannemann is the rare draft-eligible freshman. He's a high-risk, high-reward pick with Jacoby Ellsbury upside.

Top Rankings

Organization Prospect Rankings

Hannemann remains the best athlete in the Cubs system. He missed the second half of the 2016 season with a thumb injury, the latest in a long line of injury woes (shoulder, hamstring) due in part to Hannemann's all-out, aggresive style. He's a dynamic speedster with outstanding range in center field who outruns poor jumps to make highlight-reel catches. Scouts never struggle to get good run times on Hannemann because he plays so hard. Some scouts still give him 70 grades on the 20-80 scouting scale for both his defense, despite a fringe-average arm, and speed. He ranked among the Southern League leaders in stolen bases (26) when he got hurt. Hannemann has strength and will flash a good swing path with strength to drive balls to the gaps, and he was just starting to get into his average raw power when he got hurt. Hannemann went to Puerto Rico to play winter ball but was benched after a 9-for-75 start. Added to the 40-man roster after the 2016 season, he faces a probable ceiling as an extra outfielder as he advances to Triple-A Iowa.
Time was never on Hannemann's side. He ranked ahead of most of his college peers in terms of explosiveness, owing to his football background at Brigham Young. He's strong, explosive and quick-twitch. But he missed two years away from baseball on his Mormon mission and by splitting his time with football, and he has struggled to bring his skills up to the same level of his tools. Already 24, Hannemann got off to a hot start at high Class A Myrtle Beach in 2015, but owing to his age, he got pushed to Double-A Tennessee and struggled. His inexperience shows up the most in his strike-zone judgment, for he lacks a pure feel for hitting and for the strike zone. He has a slashing swing at the plate, so his strength doesn't translate to home-run power. Defensively, Hannemann remains a potentially elite defender in center field who closes on balls with plus speed (which plays on the bases as well) and a solid arm. He is trending toward a similar career track as Matt Szczur, another Cubs football/baseball pick, but Hannemann still has a chance to hit enough to be a solid fourth outfielder. He'll return to Double-A to start 2016.
Hannemann's football background--he was a two-sport athlete at Brigham Young--and two missed years due to his Mormon mission have left him old for his experience level. The Cubs focus on his athleticism, a combination of strength and explosiveness that makes him unique in the system and earns Jacoby Ellsbury comparisons. Hannemann has plus speed that helps him outrun mistakes in the outfield and helped him steal 37 bases, most in the organization. He could steal more as he learns the nuances of reading pitchers and how and when to take aggressive leads. His offense evolved as the season progressed, by far the most baseball he's played in a year. He still has rigidity to his swing and actions befitting a football player, which also shows up in his below-average arm, but he displayed more looseness as the season progressed. He'll have to improve his pitch recognition and draw more walks to fit the Ellsbury comparison. He picked up a confidence boost by holding his own in the Arizona Fall League in 2014, more experience he needed to gain. Hannemann likely begins 2015 back at high Class A, where he finished 2014, but could jump to Double-A Tennessee if his bat shows signs of real progress.
Hannemann was drafted out of high school by the Royals (48th round) in 2010 and turned down pro ball to accept a two-sport scholarship to Brigham Young. He then took his two-year Mormon mission, which took him to exotic Little Rock, Ark., before returning to BYU. He redshirted in football as a cornerback in the fall of 2012 and got into shape, then exploded on the scene for the Cougars baseball team, being named West Coast Conference freshman of the year. Already 22, Hannemann gave up his football career when the Cubs signed him for $1 million in 2013. His pro debut started well before being cut short by a partially torn elbow ligament in his right (non-throwing) elbow, which didn't require surgery. Hannemann was one of the best athletes in the draft, strong and explosive with an overall tools package that reminds Cubs officials of Jacoby Ellsbury. He's not an experienced basestealer yet but is a plus runner who reaches top speed quickly, and he outruns his at-times ragged routes in center field. His arm strength is his weakest tool, earning some 20 grades. Hannemann's offensive game is strong. He's aggressive at the plate but repeats his simple, strong swing and has natural timing, giving him average power potential with plus raw power to his pull side. As long as his elbow doesn't interrupt him, Hannemann will get much-needed at-bats at low Class A Kane County in 2014.

Draft Prospects

Drafted by the Royals in the 48th round out of high school in 2010, Hannemann headed to Brigham Young to play football and baseball. He went on his two-year Mormon mission in the spring of his freshman year, then showed his natural talent by hitting for the cycle in the team's fall alumni game when he returned. A cornerback for the football team, Hannemann is 6-foot-1 and 195 pounds with loose athleticism. He is a well above-average runner and has some work to do defensively, but he has the tools and instincts to stay in center field, though his arm grades out at the bottom of the scouting scale. A lefthanded hitter, he has a compact swing with natural strength. He needs to work on his pitch recognition, but has performed well considering he was away from the game for two years. Scouts love his makeup and intensity on the field. Already 22, Hannemann is the rare draft-eligible freshman. He's a high-risk, high-reward pick with Jacoby Ellsbury upside.