Why You Shouldn't Care that Tommy Hanson Was Sent to the Minors

He won the Arizona Fall League MVP. He dominated major league hitters in Spring Training. But Atlanta pitching phenom Tommy Hanson will start 2009 in the minor leagues.

Don't worry though. This is normal.

With a stacked pitching rotation, and no immediate need to rush Hanson into the majors (remember, he's never pitched above AA ball), the Braves made the right call by leaving him off the roster. Lowe, Vazquez, Jurrjens, Kawakami and Glavine is a stout rotation. Campillo, Reyes and Morton are solid, experienced alternates should Glavine miss some starts (also are great trade bait). No the Braves' real problem is whether they will score runs, not whether the pitching will hold up.

For the first time in a while, the Braves have legitimate pitching depth. With Hanson and Kris Medlen dominating the minor leagues, and the 7+ options at starter at the Major League level, Atlanta finally has an opportunity to return to the form of its 90's dynasty. A clear focus on quality, durable pitching makes them an interesting contender for a playoff spot. GM Frank Wren saw the free agent market and realized that even with a subpar offense, we would get nowhere without a deep pitching staff. Last year we were decimated by injuries, seeing four-fifths of our opening day rotation each miss a significant number of games. Wren is determined to not let that happen again. Glavine gets hurt? Campillo fills in. Kawakami goes down too? Okay call up Hanson, then. Glavine's healthy again? Move Campillo back to the bullpen.

You can never have too many quality arms, and the Braves know that better than anyone. So don't worry too much about Tommy Hanson being sent to the minors. He needs time to develop more control while he works his way up the ladder, anyway. Just be thankful that unlike the Dodgers (rushing Clayton Kershaw) and Yankees (rushing Joba, Phil Hughes, Ian Kennedy, etc.), we actually have the major league pitching depth to give our minor league studs some time to develop. When Hanson and Medlen and the others finally do solidify their spot in the rotation, it will be well worth the wait.

And let's not forget, Tim Hudson is due back in late August.