Prospect Of The Day

Mesa righthander Tommy Hanson (Braves) is a machine.  There’s no other way around it.

Hanson has dominated in every outing this fall and yesterday was no exception. Over five innings, he gave up just one hit, walked two and struck out 10.

Hanson is now 5-0 with a microscopic 0.64 ERA. Over 28 1/3 innings, he’s given up just 10 hits, walked seven and struck out 49.

To find the last pitcher to record more strikeouts in the AFL, you have to go all the way back to 2002 when Bobby Jenks was still a starting pitcher and struck out 54 (over 42 innings) for Scottsdale.

Other Notable Performances

Hanson wasn’t the only Braves prospect making waves yesterday. Mesa catcher Tyler Flowers (Braves) also had another great game. Flowers went 3-for-4 with his 12th home run of the fall as the Solar Sox clubbed the Peoria Javelinas, 13-6. . . Mesa third baseman Van Pope (Braves) also went deep as part of a 3-for-3 day at the plate. . . Phoenix catcher Mike McKenry (Rockies) went 2-for-4 with his seventh double of the fall, raising his average to .361. . . Phoenix center fielder Eric Young (Rockies) went 2-for-4 with a home run and is now hitting .424 on the fall—the second-best average in the league. . . Peoria Saguaros righthander Bobby Parnell (Mets) gave up just one hit over four innings as the Sags edged the Phoenix Desert Dogs, 4-3. Parnell struck out three and walked just one on the day, lowering his AFL ERA to 2.25. . . Surprise catcher Matt Wieters (Orioles) went 2-for-5 with two RBIs as the Rafters topped the Scottsdale Scorpions, 4-3.