Blue Jays Nation’s Mid-Season Prospect Countdown – No. 26: Hagen Danner
11 months ago
Who doesn’t love catchers turned high-leverage relievers?
Just a quick recap of the mid-season list: We’ll look at the player’s stats, my observations, and finally other publications (Prospects Live, MLB Pipeline, Baseball America)’ scouting reports.
In this article, we’ll look at Hagen Danner.
Getting to know Hagen Danner…
Position: Relief Pitcher
Throws: Right
Born: September 30, 1998
Acquired: 2nd round, 2017 draft (Blue Jays)
Current Team: Toronto Blue Jays (injured list)
Previous Ranking: 31
The 24-year-old missed essentially all of the 2022 season due to injury, before returning to action representing the Blue Jays in the Arizona Fall League. With the Salt River Rafters, he had a 3.52 ERA in 7.2 innings pitched, along with 28.6 K% and a 3.6 BB%. After getting hit around in his first outing, Danner didn’t allow another run for the remaining eight games he appeared in.
Prior to the injury in 2022, Danner briefly pitched for the Double-A Fisher Cats, and that’s where he started his 2023 season. In 9 innings pitched, he had a 3 ERA and a 0.39 FIP, along with a 43.2 K% and a 5.4 BB%. The hard-throwing right-handed pitcher was promoted to Triple-A Buffalo, where he had a 3.81 ERA and a 5.53 FIP in 28.1 innings pitched, as well as a 31.5 K% and a 6.3 BB%.
The biggest issue Danner had in Buffalo was the home run ball, as he gave up eight home runs for a HR/FB ratio of 26.7%, which is absolutely absurd and not sustainable. Danner was called up to the big leagues, where he pitched a third of an inning before landing on the 15-day injured list with a left oblique strain.
Danner features a high-90s fastball with a lot of ride. He pairs that nicely with a sharp, downward slider that sits in the high-80s. His last pitch is a looping curveball that can be used as a get me over pitch, but also generates whiffs.
What’s most impressive about Danner is the fact his command and control are so good. Back in 2017, the 24-year-old was selected as a catcher and spent his first three seasons hitting, before transitioning to the bullpen during COVID. The highest BB% he’s had with more than four innings pitched at a level is 8.4% in his first season pitching.
It’s only a matter of time before Danner makes his mark at the major league level. What’s important for the 24-year-old is to remain healthy.
Next up:
In the next article, we’ll look at another reliever with the Bisons who has had a very weird year, so stay tuned!
In case you missed it…
- Blue Jays Nation’s Mid-Season Prospect Countdown – No. 50: Garrett Spain
- Blue Jays Nation’s Mid-Season Prospect Countdown – No. 49: Connor Cooke
- Blue Jays Nation’s Mid-Season Prospect Countdown – No. 48: Michael Dominguez
- Blue Jays Nation’s Mid-Season Prospect Countdown – No. 47: Alejandro Melean
- Blue Jays Nation’s Mid-Season Prospect Countdown – No. 46: Trenton Wallace
- Blue Jays Nation’s Mid-Season Prospect Countdown – No. 45: Brennan Orf
- Blue Jays Nation’s Mid-Season Prospect Countdown – No. 44: Robert Robertis
- Blue Jays Nation’s Mid-Season Prospect Countdown – No. 43: Sam Shaw
- Blue Jays Nation’s Mid-Season Prospect Countdown – No. 42: Rafael Lantigua
- Blue Jays Nation’s Mid-Season Prospect Countdown – No. 41: Yhoangel Aponte
- Blue Jays Nation’s Mid-Season Prospect Countdown – No. 40: Nick Goodwin
- Blue Jays Nation’s Mid-Season Prospect Countdown – No. 39: Irv Carter
- Blue Jays Nation’s Mid-Season Prospect Countdown – No. 38: Jimmy Robbins
- Blue Jays Nation’s Mid-Season Prospect Countdown – No. 37: Otto López
- Blue Jays Nation’s Mid-Season Prospect Countdown – No. 36: Peyton Williams
- Blue Jays Nation’s Mid-Season Prospect Countdown – No. 35: Trent Palmer
- Blue Jays Nation’s Mid-Season Prospect Countdown – No. 34: C.J. Van Eyk
- Blue Jays Nation’s Mid-Season Prospect Countdown – No. 33: Dasan Brown
- Blue Jays Nation’s Mid-Season Prospect Countdown – No. 32: Tanner Morris
- Blue Jays Nation’s Mid-Season Prospect Countdown – No. 31: Connor O’Halloran
- Blue Jays Nation’s Mid-Season Prospect Countdown – No. 30: Kendry Rojas
- Blue Jays Nation’s Mid-Season Prospect Countdown – No. 29: Zach Britton
- Blue Jays Nation’s Mid-Season Prospect Countdown – No. 28: Adrian Pinto
- Blue Jays Nation’s Mid-Season Prospect Countdown – No. 27: Rainer Nuñez
As always, you can follow me on Twitter, Instagram, and Threads @Brennan_L_D.
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