A former highly-touted prospect within the White Sox organization is calling it a career.
Right-handed pitcher Alec Hansen has announced his retirement from professional baseball, as first reported by MLB.com’s Scott Merkin. MiLB.com’s transaction tracker lists the move as becoming official back on January 12th, despite the news being confirmed by the organization today.
Hansen, 27, was originally drafted 49th overall by the White Sox in the 2016 MLB Draft. The second-round pick signed with the club for $1,284,500 and caught the attention of fans throughout the early stages of the rebuild. Featured as high as number four within the organization’s MLB Pipeline’s rankings and 54th overall, the lanky right-hander never met his potential as injuries and struggles plagued the back-end of his career.
“We wish Alec all the best in his next chapter,” said Chris Getz, White Sox assistant GM of player development. “Although he would have liked to pitch in the Major Leagues, he should not carry any regrets. He worked tirelessly in his pursuit that included many obstacles, and that type of effort will serve him well in his future.”
In a minor league stint that spanned five seasons, Hansen went 16-18 with a 3.63 ERA (130 ER/322.0 IP) with 436 strikeouts, 2.07 K/W ratio, and 1.401 WHIP. Since converting from a starter to a reliever in 2019, Hansen bounced between High-A Winston-Salem and Double-A Birmingham with very little sustained success. He finished his 2021 campaign by going 1-2 with a 6.04 ER (15 ER/22.1 IP), 43 strikeouts, and 2.284 WHIP in Double-A.
On behalf of our entire team here at Sox On 35th, we would like to wish Alec all the best in his retirement and future endeavors.
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Featured Photo: Winston-Salem Dash/Twitter
I thought he was going to be the next big thing about 5 years ago. Seems to have found the yips and lost the strike zone