Alec Hansen

Organization Prospect Rankings

• 
  Ranked Chicago White Sox #17 prospect in 2019
  Track Record: Entering his junior season at Oklahoma, Hansen was in play for the No. 1 overall pick in the draft. From there, he lost the strike zone and his spot in the rotation. The White Sox scooped him up in the second round and signed him for $1.2 million. His first two seasons as a pro showed immense potential, highlighted by a dominant season in which his 191 strikeouts were second in the minor leagues.
  
  Scouting Report: From the outset, Hansen’s 2018 season was a disaster. His season was delayed until mid-June by tightness in his right forearm, and he pitched so poorly at Double-A Birmingham that he was sent back to high Class A Winston-Salem less than a month later. He finished the season with more walks (59) than strikeouts (55), but his stuff was clearly down. He was pitching with a low-90s fastball and still didn’t regain his command when he returned to Winston-Salem, where he’d dominated in 2017. Beyond the injuries, the White Sox continued working with Hansen to keep his big body in sync and over the rubber throughout his delivery.
  
  The Future: Hansen clearly has the stuff to dominate, but he needs to find the mental toughness to put 2018 in the rearview mirror. He is likely to return to Double-A in 2019.
• 
  Ranked Chicago White Sox #3 prospect in 2018
  Considered a candidate to go first overall in the 2016 draft, Hansen had a disastrous junior season at Oklahoma and got bumped from the starting rotation as well as the first round. The White Sox snatched him up in the second round and signed him for $1.2 million. They started Hansen in Rookie-ball after signing to regain his confidence against less experienced hitters, and he came out in 2017 and finished second in the minors with 191 strikeouts, finishing in Double-A. Hansen starts his arsenal with a hard mid-90s fastball that peaks at 98 mph. He gets downward plane on the pitch, and the White Sox made mechanical tweaks--namely keeping his shoulders even throughout his delivery--to help keep his fastball life consistent. Hansen couples the pitch with a hard curveball that flashes plus potential. He's improved his changeup from a show-me pitch at Oklahoma to one with heavy sink and average potential. He's also working to develop a slider. Hansen's imposing size at 6-foot-7, 235 pounds gives him an intimidation factor on the mound, but also contributes to inconsistent command and control. Hansen will return to Double-A to begin 2018. He has the ceiling of a No. 3 starter if everything clicks.
• 
  Ranked Chicago White Sox #10 prospect in 2017
  Hansen was on the path to being a significant prospect out of high school, but he missed time with arm trouble during his senior year and slipped in the draft. At Oklahoma, Hansen entered his junior year as a candidate to be the No. 1 overall pick, but he pitched poorly enough to lose spot in the weekend rotation for a spell. Hansen has exceptional size and arm strength. His fastball has reached 98 mph and regularly works at 91-95. He generates plus life on his fastball, which shows late finish as it enters the zone. Hansen throws a slider and a curveball, both of which flash plus potential but don't consistently play as plus. His slider is a more usable weapon, with hard 10-to-4 snap and low- to mid-80s velocity, while his curveball shows longer 11-to-5 break. He has also flashed a plus changeup, though it typically plays closer to average. While Hansen's stuff can all flash plus, he'll need to continue making progress timing his delivery and repeating his mechanics because he has a tendency to rush off his back ankle. Hansen likely will start 2017 at low Class A Kannapolis. He will have to significantly refine his delivery and command to reach his front-line starter ceiling.

Draft Prospects

• Ranked #37 prospect in 2016 draft
  Hansen's 2016 season has been as many twists and turns as a Shonda Rhimes drama. The season began with lofty expectations. Hansen did strike out 11 in a magical early-season start against UCLA but his control troubles and ineffectiveness culminated in an outing against Texas Tech where he gave up four runs while recording only two outs. He was banished to the bullpen and didn't return to the rotation until early May, but he marked his return with six scoreless innings against Kansas State as he struck out nine. Other than Riley Pint and arguably Louisville reliever Zack Burdi, Hansen has the best pure stuff in this year's draft class. Hansen can sit in the mid-to-high 90s with his fastball, and on his best nights he'll flash a plus curveball, slider and changeup. But those moments have been few and far between. Hansen's medical history could also give teams' pause. He had an elbow injury in high school, did not pitch on the summer circuit last year and was shut down during fall ball with elbow soreness.
• Ranked #136 prospect in 2013 draft
  Hansen has been tough to see this spring, as the weather had been unusually cold. When he has taken the mound, he has shown scouts lightning in his arm, but he'll need development in pro ball. While his fastball has been in the 90-96 mph range this spring, his curveball and changeup are below-average. With his extra large frame at 6-foot-7 and 220 pounds, Hansen is learning to control his body and will need to harness his command, too. He's viewed as a fourth-rounder on talent, but scouts say it could take second-round money to buy him out of his commitment to Oklahoma.

Minor League Top Prospects

• 
  Ranked Carolina League #9 prospect in 2017
  After a case of draftitis scuttled his junior season at Oklahoma, Hansen regained his confidence in pro ball. It all came together this season, when he led the minors with 191 strikeouts and made it to Double-A after starting at low Class A. Hansen begins his pitch selection with a fastball in the 91-98 mph range with late life. He worked hard this year with Winston-Salem coaches to maintain a consistent downward plane during his delivery, which at 6-foot-7 would make his pitches play up. He also worked this year to keep his shoulders even throughout his delivery. Hansen's best two offspeed pitches are a 12-6 curveball than needs a little bit more consistency but can be plus at its best. He's also throws a changeup that is at least average and a slider that is a clear fourth pitch at this point.
• 
  Ranked South Atlantic League #4 prospect in 2017
  Hansen returned to Kannapolis after joining the Intimidators for a two-start cameo to wrap up 2016. He showed improved control and confidence this year, dominating in his 13 starts before being promoted. He struck out 15 against Greensboro in one start and reached double digits in strikeouts in three of his final six starts for Kannapolis. Hansen dominated with a 93-95 mph fastball that generated swings and misses, but his biggest out pitchers were his pair of breaking balls. Most scouts liked his curveball the best, as he can tighten it up to a 78-80 mph tight power curve or loosen up for a get-over early count strike. His slider was less consistent but also flashed plus. His changeup is a fringy fourth pitch. Not everyone was enamored with Hansen. His mound presence put off some evaluators, and his velocity sometimes wavered later in games. Considering he was bumped from the Oklahoma rotation in 2016, he's come a long way in the past year.
• 
  Ranked Pioneer League #2 prospect in 2016
  To say that Hansen dominated PL hitters may be an understatement, and it also came as a surprise after a rough spring when he fell out of the Oklahoma rotation. His checkered injury history and inability to throw consistent strikes (6.7 walks per nine innings this spring) dropped him to the second round, where the White Sox grabbed him. He threw his best in seven PL starts, holding opposing hitters to a .102 average and striking out nearly 15 batters per nine innings. Hansen's pitches get on batters quickly because of his big frame and long arms. His plus fastball sits 93-96 mph and touches 97. The pitch has excellent late life, and at his best he shows the ability to elevate it and get it to the plate on a tough angle for hitters. He uses both a slider at 83-85 mph that earned plus grades and an early-count 76-78 curveball with good shape. Hansen didn't go to his 84-86 mph changeup much, but it showed improvement and has a chance to be average. Hansen repeated his high three-quarters arm slot better and threw more strikes than he ever did in college. "He'll move fast," Great Falls manager Tommy Thompson said. "He gained confidence and was having fun . . . I see this kid getting better and better."

Top 100 Rankings

• Ranked Baseball America's #57 prospect in 2018

• July, 2018 Scouting Report
  The opening to Hansen’s season was delayed by a right forearm strain, and he didn’t pitch in a game outside of the team’s spring training complex until June 16. Command has long been an issue for Hansen, and the team has continued to work with him to stay in rhythm and over the rubber as long as possible to allow his arsenal of above-average or better pitches to work to their potential. It hasn’t been good so far, with Hansen 0-4, 6.23 with nearly as many walks (26) as strikeouts (27) in seven starts.
• December, 2017 Scouting Report
  Track Record: Considered a candidate to go first overall in the 2016 draft, Hansen had a disastrous junior season at Oklahoma and got bumped from the rotation as well as the first round. The White Sox snatched him up in the second round and signed him for $1.2 million. Chicago started Hansen in Rookie ball in 2016 to regain his confidence against less experienced hitters, and he began 2017 at low Class A Kannapolis, ultimately finishing second in the minors in with 191 strikeouts. Scouting Report: Hansen starts his arsenal with a mid-90s fastball that peaks at 98 mph. He gets downward plane on the pitch, and the White Sox made mechanical tweaks--namely keeping his shoulders even throughout his delivery--to help keep his fastball life consistent. Hansen couples his fastball with a hard curveball that flashes plus potential. He improved his changeup from a show-me pitch at Oklahoma to one with heavy sink and average potential. He's also working to develop a slider. Hansen's imposing size gives him an intimidation factor on the mound but also contributes to inconsistent command and control. The Future: Hansen will return to Double-A Birmingham in 2018 and has a No. 3 starter ceiling.
• December, 2016 Scouting Report
  Background: Hansen was on the path to being a significant prospect out of high school, but he missed time with arm trouble during his senior year and slipped in the draft. At Oklahoma, Hansen entered his junior year as a candidate to be the No. 1 overall pick, but he pitched poorly enough to lose spot in the weekend rotation for a spell. Scouting Report: Hansen has exceptional size and arm strength. His fastball has reached 98 mph and regularly works at 91-95. He generates plus life on his fastball, which shows late finish as it enters the zone. Hansen throws a slider and a curveball, both of which flash plus potential but don't consistently play as plus. His slider is a more usable weapon, with hard 10-to-4 snap and low- to mid-80s velocity, while his curveball shows longer 11-to-5 break. He has also flashed a plus changeup, though it typically plays closer to average. While Hansen's stuff can all flash plus, he'll need to continue making progress timing his delivery and repeating his mechanics because he has a tendency to rush off his back ankle.
  
  The Future: Hansen likely will start 2017 at low Class A Kannapolis. He will have to significantly refine his delivery and command to reach his front-line starter ceiling.