11/23/2003 1:00 AM ET
High hopes for Hanrahan
By Ken Gurnick / MLB.com
Joel Hanrahan gets congratulated by his Vero Beach teammates after throwing a no-hitter in 2002. (Vero Beach Dodgers)
LOS ANGELES -- At 22, Joel Hanrahan is the oldest of three young pitchers the Dodgers hope will form the nucleus of a starting rotation that will be around for a long time.
Hanrahan was a second-round pick in the 2000 draft out of an Iowa high school. Signed by former Dodgers outfielder Mitch Webster, Hanrahan is a 6-3, 230-pound right-hander who in 2003 continued his methodical climb through the minor league system.
He went 10-4 in 23 starts with a 2.43 ERA for Double-A Jacksonville, earning honors as the Southern League's most outstanding pitcher and a late promotion to Triple-A Las Vegas, where he struggled in five starts to a 1-2 record and 10.08 ERA.
The organization is not concerned about his late problems, which mirrored difficulty he encountered during a late-season promotion from Single-A to Double-A the previous year.
"He logged quite a few innings by then (158 1/3 for the season) and he might have been tired," said Marty Reed, Hanrahan's pitching coach at Jacksonville. "His walk total was high at Triple-A (20 in 25 innings) and that's unusual from what I've seen of him."
Reed had the pleasure of having Hanrahan and Edwin Jackson on the same Jacksonville staff, and when they were promoted, top left-handed prospect Greg Miller paid Reed a visit.
Where Jackson is often compared to Doc Gooden because of his youthful lanky build and blazing fastball, Reed sees Hanrahan as more of an innings-eater.
"His fastball touches 94 but usually is around 90 and 91 and his slider is tremendous," said Reed. "He's a big guy, but he throws around the plate most of the time. If I had to compare him, he's more of a workhorse like Hideo Nomo. He'll take the ball all the time. He's competitive. He wants to be out there. He's a big kid and he's still young, only 22. He's not a man yet, if you know what I mean. He's a guy, maybe like Rick Helling a couple years ago."
Reed said being a staffmate of Jackson's made both of them better.
"Joel was competitive with Edwin, they'd try to out-do each other," said Reed. "His change-up needs to get better. He certainly could be real good. He has to keep from dropping his arm slot, because then he pushes his fastball."
