Jesse Hahn Could be Oakland Athletics’ Future Ace
In their annual Winter sale, the Oakland Athletics traded away a glut of talent, and got a lot of young, inexperienced players in return. One of those trades may have netted the A’s with their ace pitcher of the future.
In December, Oakland traded away their All-Star catcher Derek Norris to the San Diego Padres, along with pitching prospect Seth Streich. San Diego sent back right-handed pitcher Jesse Hahn, who’s been nothing but successful at every single level at which he’s pitched, also packaged with another pitcher, R.J. Alvarez. Hahn is the star of the trade.
Hahn has made his rounds so far as a professional. He was drafted by the Tampa Bay Rays in 2010. Despite being a first-round talent, Hahn dropped all the way to the sixth round because of a Tommy John procedure done while in college at Virginia Tech.
His professional debut didn’t come until 2012, when he began his career in Low-A Hudson Valley. While there, he began his run of fantastic pitching at every stop.
In 14 games with the Renegades, he put up a 2.77 ERA and 1.019 WHIP, and struck out 55 batters with 15 walks in 52 innings.
The next year, Hahn skipped Single-A and moved to Advanced-A with the Charlotte Stone Crabs. In 19 games, his ERA and WHIP were 2.15 and 1.090, respectively. He punched out 63 in 67 innings, compared to 18 free passes.
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After the year, Hahn was traded for the first time. In exchange for Hahn and Torres, the Rays received Logan Forsythe and Brad Boxberger, along with three minor leaguers from the Padres. Hahn would begin 2014 with Double-A San Antonio.
In the first 10 games, Hahn posted a 2.20 ERA and 1.224 WHIP, with 28 strikeouts and 11 walks in 32.2 innings. On June 3rd, Hahn earned his first big league call-up, completely skipping the Triple-A level.
He was roughed up in his major league debut, giving up four earned runs in 3.2 innings while taking the loss. Afterwards, Hahn was demoted back to Double-A, but that didn’t last long, as he was recalled less than two weeks later.
After the second call-up, Hahn was lights out. Over the course of his next eight starts, he totaled a 7-1 record with a 1.44 ERA and .940 WHIP, while striking out 49 batters in 50 innings. He allowed just 28 hits over that span, for a .165 opponent average.
Jul 25, 2014; Atlanta, GA, USA; San Diego Padres starting pitcher Jesse Hahn (45) pitches against the Atlanta Braves during the first inning at Turner Field. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports
The last five games of the year weren’t nearly as good, with an 0-2 record, 5.95 ERA and 1.728 WHIP in 19.2 innings. At that point in the season, Hahn had already set a career high in innings worked for a season, and was obviously wearing down.
Following his surgery, he was brought along slowly, rarely working more than five innings in a start. As he continues to get more work, his stamina should continue to increase.
Hahn has the stuff of an ace. His four-seam fastball has touched triple-digits on more than one occasion in his career, but more often than not, the heater works in the mid-90’s. His two-seamer also has great movement, running in to righties. It could break some lumber in the process.
Hahn’s curveball is fantastic. It’s slow, working around 75 miles an hour, offering a staggering 20 mile an hour difference from the fastball. The straight-down break is hard to read, and hitters have a tough time making some contact when it’s working.
For video evidence of just how good this kid is, check out this video from his fifth career start. Against the Cincinnati Reds, he struck out nine in five shutout innings. With this game, Hahn set the team’s record for most strikeouts in a player’s first five career games, with 36.
Oakland has a very good pitching staff already. With Sonny Gray, Jesse Chavez, A.J. Griffin, Scott Kazmir, and Drew Pomeranz, there’s going to be competition for jobs. Even Barry Zito is back in the picture, and who knows what will happen with him.
Hahn’s got everything it takes to be a great pitcher. Three great pitches, plus a changeup that is still developing. The only issue is his stamina, but that should continue to improve.
Oakland has themselves a star in the making, here’s hoping they hold onto him.