News
Hanson top righty on Topps rookie team
Braves hurler honored for standout first season in Majors
By Mark Bowman / MLB.com
11/25/09 1:31 PM EST
ATLANTA -- Tommy Hanson has been selected as the right-handed pitcher on the 2009 Topps All-Rookie Team.Hanson lived up to tremendous expectations while going 11-4 with a 2.89 ERA in 21 starts for Atlanta this past season. The 23-year-old righty spent the first two months of this season with Triple-A Gwinnett.
Hanson led all Major League rookies in ERA (2.89), strikeouts-per-nine innings (8.18), WHIP (1.18) and opponent's batting average (.225). His 116 strikeouts and 11 wins ranked second among National League rookies to Phillies left-hander J.A. Happ, who compiled his 119 strikeouts and 12 victories over 38 1/3 more innings.
Dating back to his June 7 Major League debut, Hanson's ERA ranked seventh among all NL hurlers who compiled at least 100 innings over that span.
Hanson is the first Braves player to earn the honor since Jeff Francoeur and Brian McCann were both part of the 2005 Topps All-Rookie team.
Each of this year's winners will have a trophy placed on their 2010 Topps trading baseball card. The first series is scheduled to be released in January.
Mark Bowman is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
