2010 Breakouts Player Profile: Tommy Hanson, Atlanta Braves

Written By Todd Farino, www.fantasybaseballsearch.com .

Player: Tommy Hanson

Team: Atlanta Braves

Throws: Right

Position: SP

FBS Breakout Rank: No. 1

Tommy Hanson quietly had a great rookie season.  After getting a no-decision in his first major league start, he went on to win 11 of 20 starts and finished with an ERA under 3.00.  

Hanson stunned the NL hitters with a .225 average and had excellent command of his fastball. He struck out 116 batters in 127.2 innings, which gave him a stellar 8.2 K/9 and a solid 3.2 BB/9.

Those numbers alone don't tell the whole story.  Hanson had a rough start in June, walking 17 batters and striking out only 18.  By the end of September he had 12 walks and 34 strikeouts for the month.

If you eliminate his slow rookie start, his numbers look even better, which is a great statistic for Sabermetric haters like myself.

At 23, Hanson already has the makings of a staff ace and will take the next step in his second season by posting breakout numbers.  Currently he has an ADP of 84, and that's a steal for a pitcher of Hanson's quality.  

Hanson should easily get 175 innings in 2010 and post 167 or more strikeouts. A key to Hanson's progress will be his ability to adjust to the hitters and keep his pitch counts low early in the games.

We expect Tommy Hanson to have a great 2010 and he is our No. 1 breakout.

The True Guru Projections: 17 wins, 167 Ks, 2.78 ERA, 1.11 WHIP

I feel this player will achieve my projections through our formula based on 11 herbs and spices (its locked at Fort Knox). Of course we are assuming he stays relatively healthy for the entire season. Check out the rest of our breakouts here

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