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Pittsburgh Pirates 2014 Top Prospects: #5 – Alen Hanson

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The Pirates Prospects 2014 Prospect Guide is now on sale. The book features prospect reports on everyone in the system, the 2014 top 50 prospects, and the most comprehensive coverage of the Pirates’ farm system that you can find.  While the top 50 prospects are exclusive to the book, we will be releasing the top 20 prospects over the next few weeks.  Be sure to purchase your copy of the book on the products page of the site.

To recap the countdown so far:

20. Michael De La Cruz, OF
19. JaCoby Jones, OF
18. Barrett Barnes, OF
17. Cody Dickson, LHP
16. Blake Taylor, LHP
15. Joely Rodriguez, LHP
14. Andrew Lambo, OF
13. Stolmy Pimentel, RHP
12. Clay Holmes, RHP
11. Tony Sanchez, C
10. Harold Ramirez, OF
9. Luis Heredia, RHP
8. Josh Bell, OF
7. Reese McGuire, C
6. Nick Kingham, RHP

We continue the countdown with the number 5 prospect, Alen Hanson.

Despite the errors, Alen Hanson has the skills to stick at shortstop over the long-term.
Despite the errors, Alen Hanson has the skills to stick at shortstop over the long-term.

5. Alen Hanson, SS

Shortstop is one of the hardest positions to fill in baseball, especially with a player who can hit and play defense well. Alen Hanson’s hitting skills are what put him on the map as a prospect. His big offensive breakout in 2012 made him one of the top prospects in the game. But there has always been a question about his ability to stick at the shortstop position in the long-term.

The tools Hanson displayed this year at shortstop should erase any doubt that he is capable of playing the position long-term. He displayed a lot of range, capable of making plays deep in the hole between third and shortstop. There have been questions about his arm strength in the past. He doesn’t have the strongest arm, but he has enough strength to make the throw from short.

Hanson has great defensive skills, but he had 32 errors in 2013, after having 40 in 2012. The strange thing about his errors is that a lot of them came on routine plays. Hanson would make a web gem, then immediately follow it up by booting a routine grounder, or throwing in the dirt at first base. The reason for this is because he has the tendency to take a play off on the easier plays. That could be chalked up to his young age and a lack of maturity.

The bat didn’t show up as well in the stat line this year. Hanson slumped the first two weeks in Bradenton, then got back on track offensively. He also changed his approach, using his bunting skills more. Hanson has plus speed, which would allow him to bunt for a hit in one at-bat, then fake bunt and hit into a drawn in infield in the next at-bat. Infielders have to respect his speed, making it hard to guess what he is going to do.

It would be a good idea for Hanson to return to Double-A in 2014, possibly spending the entire season at the level. He needs some work against upper level pitching, and needs to mature his approach to maintain consistency on defense. He profiles as the long-term shortstop in Pittsburgh, as well as a speedy leadoff hitter with some pop in his bat.

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Tim Williams
Tim Williams
Tim is the owner, producer, editor, and lead writer of PiratesProspects.com. He has been running Pirates Prospects since 2009, becoming the first new media reporter and outlet covering the Pirates at the MLB level in 2011 and 2012. His work can also be found in Baseball America, where he has been a contributor since 2014 and the Pirates' correspondent since 2019.

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