Bobby Cox: Hanson ‘might be up’ for jump to big leagues

Port St. Lucie, Fla. — Tommy Hanson felt added excitement pitching against the New York Mets, but the Braves’ top prospect said that wasn’t the reason for his rough first couple of innings Wednesday.

Hanson gave up a two-run homer to Fernando Tatis in the first inning and labored through the second, but he settled down and Braves bats heated up in a 7-4 victory against the Mets at Tradition Field.

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AP

Tommy Hanson settled down after a rough start against the Mets Wednesday.

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Martin Prado hit a three-run homer and outfield prospects Jordan Schafer and Brandon Jones had three hits apiece for the Braves, who have won 11 of their past 12 Grapefruit League games and 13 of 14 including exhibitions against World Baseball Classic opponents.

“I was amped up early, but I have been the whole [spring], so I don’t think that was the reason,” said Hanson, who was charged with two unearned runs, three hits and two walks in four innings.

“I just think for whatever reason, it took me a while to find it today.”

He ran up a high pitch count in the first inning, or he would’ve gone five innings. Tatis’ two-out homer came on a fastball over the middle and up in the strike zone.

“It wasn’t his best day, that’s for sure,” manager Bobby Cox said of Hanson, who had three strikeouts and threw 37 strikes in 66 pitches. “[But] if that’s his worst day, he’s good.”

Both first-inning runs were unearned because of a Kelly Johnson error on Jose Reyes’ leadoff grounder in the first inning.

The 22-year-old right-hander retired the last six batters he faced after a leadoff walk in the third.

Hanson didn’t locate his fastball well, but threw several knee-buckling curveballs and sliders that impressed Mets broadcaster and former pitcher Ron Darling.

“For the most part I felt good with all my pitches — my changeup, slider, curveball, everything felt good,” Hanson said. “I was just a little off. My command wasn’t there. … For a while I was just trying to find the zone, when I should have been attacking.”

He has a 2.45 ERA in five Grapefruit League games, with 14 strikeouts in 14 2/3 innings. He has allowed 14 hits and six walks, and the Tatis homer was the first off him.

There has been a buzz about Hanson since he dominated the Arizona Fall League, where he was the first pitcher to win the MVP award.

The buzz has grown in spring training, and Hanson keeps getting asked about cracking the Braves’ seemingly full starting rotation.

“It’s kind of cool to hear my name and hear people talking about me,” he said. “But I know I’ve still got a long ways to go to get better, a lot of stuff to learn to pitch in the big leagues and to be successful. So I think when it comes to that stuff, I kind of just let it go in one ear and right out the other.”

Not that he’s lacking confidence.

“I feel like I could go out and get whoever’s in the box out with what I’ve got right now,” he said. “I’ve still got things to work on, but as far as that goes, I feel confident with what I’ve got right now, that I could go out and do well.”

Cox was asked whether Hanson could be ready to help the Braves win.

“We’ll see how it goes,” Cox said. “We’ve got some other guys, too. It’s a major jump [from Class AA], but he might be up to it. He’s got the stuff. It’s all there. The package is there.”