Alen Hanson (2B/OF, SF) - Week 8 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 12+ Team Leagues

OWNED IN: 16% of leagues

ANALYSIS: When the Giants added former Pirates prospect Alen Hanson in the offseason on a minor league deal, no one batted an eye. Hanson had flamed out in Pittsburgh after sitting atop prospects lists for years. However, the pop never developed, the hitting eye did not seem to translate, and the defense from both shortstop and second base left something to be desired.

Fast forward to week seven of the 2018 season, and the 25-year-old has been a revelation. From the second he stepped on the field with the Giants’ Triple-A affiliate, he looked like a different guy. Swinging the bat with authority, making better contact, and sporting an improved batting eye, Hanson collected three homers and six steals on a line of .403/.479/.661 with an ISO of .258 while walking more than he struck out. The Giants have now given him 52 major league plate appearances, and boy are they pleased. Four home runs, three steals, eight runs scored, and 12 runs batted in while hitting .298/.346/.638. Over the last week, he’s put up a pair of home runs with four runs, four runs batted in, a steal, a .304/.370/.652 line, and a 5-to-3 K/BB ratio.

There are legitimate approach changes to consider. Hanson is another proponent of the adjustment in launch angle, and after averaging a 33.6% flyball rate, he has bumped that up to 42.5%. He is also hitting the ball much harder, with a 40% hard hit rate versus a 23.4% career mark. Finally, the switch-hitter is pulling the ball like his life depends on it, with 55% of his hits going to his pull side. He is also swinging outside of the zone less, making more contact overall, and has clearly benefited from being a touch more patient.

There is little in Hanson’s career production to suggest these stats are anything but fluke, but when you watch him and look a little more closely at the advanced stats on 2018, you see the possibility that this is for real. For me, he is an add in all leagues on the chance that he’s figured something out, a speculative action worthy of a possible All-Star.