Former White Sox Top Pitching Prospect Retires From Baseball

Alec Hansen, who was once viewed as a top pitching prospect in baseball has called it quits. On Thursday afternoon the White Sox organization confirmed that the 27-year old had retired from baseball. According to MiLB.com Hansen officially retired on January 12th. It leaves fans wondering what could have been if Hansen's career wasn't derailed by injures. When Alec Hansen was drafted 49th overall in the 2016 MLB draft, the White Sox envisioned him being a future staple of the rotation. It was easy to see why. At 6'8 260 lbs, and a fastball in the upper 90s, all the tools were there for him to be a dominant force on the mound. Despite being a second-round pick he signed for $1,284,500 and quickly established himself as one of the core pieces of the White Sox rebuild. At one point MLB Pipeline's rankings placed him as the fourth-best prospect in the White Sox organization, which was stocked with talent at the time. He also found himself as high as 54th in MLB Pipeline's Top 100 prospects in Baseball. He showed promise during his professional debut season, pitching in 12 games and posting a 1.32 ERA. Baseball America named him a Rookie All-Star. During his second professional season in 2017, Hansen blew through the minor leagues advancing three levels from Kannapolis to the team's Double-A affiliate in Birmingham. He was named a SAL Mid-Season All-Star for his work with the Kannapolis Intimidators, after he won seven games, and had a 2.48 ERA in 13 starts. That season he led all minor league pitchers with 191 strikeouts. In 141.1 innings he had a dominant 2.80 ERA and held opponents to a .216 batting average. For a second consecutive season, he was named a MiLB.com Organizational All-Star. But injuries plagued the back half of his career. Heading into the 2018 season Hansen entered Spring Training with a forearm strain. When he finally returned off the shelf he didn't look the same. Over the 2019 offseason, he dealt with shoulder soreness which could explain his 6.31 ERA between High-A and Double-A that season. Things got slightly better in 2019 when he owned a 4.64 ERA but after sitting missing a full season due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2020, his ERA ballooned back up to 6.04 in 2021. As it turned out 2021 would be Hansen's last season in baseball. He went 1-2 with 43 strikeouts and a 2.284 WHIP in 22 games for Double-A Birmingham. Hansen finished his career after five minor league seasons with a career 16-18 record, 3.63 ERA, 436 strikeouts, and 1.401 WHIP. Besides the injuries, his downfall was throwing strikes. He walked more than 10 batters per 9 in 50+ innings in 2018. That number got slightly better in 2019 but was still at a high 7.6 mark. Scott Merkin released a statement from Chris Getz on Twitter. “We wish Alec all the best in his next chapter,” the White Sox assistant GM of player development said. “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.”