Topic: Tommy Hanson

Thomas J "Tommy" Hanson (born August 28, 1986, in Tulsa, Oklahoma) is a Major League Baseball starting pitcher for the Atlanta Braves. Hanson was considered by Baseball America to be the top prospect in the Braves farm system going into the 2009 season. That was affirmed by Minor League News, which tapped Hanson as the number one prospect to mid-season in the MLN FAB50 Baseball 2009 rankings. He was called up to the majors on June 3, 2009.

Tommy was born in Tulsa, Oklahoma. After moving to California at a very young age, Hanson graduated from Redlands East Valley High School in June 2004, electing to continue his post-secondary education at Riverside Community College. He played for the Corvallis Knights in the West Coast League, an independent summer collegiate baseball league. In 2005, he was selected in the 22nd round (677th overall pick) by the Atlanta Braves as a draft-and-follow pick.

The following year, in 2006, Hanson began playing for the Danville Braves of the Appalachian League. In Danville, he began the season as the league's fourth-best prospect according to Baseball America. That season, Hanson ended up starting Game 2 of the Appalachian League Championship Series, finishing the season 4-1 with three wins coming in relief. He also had a 2.09 ERA with a 0.99 WHIP.