BREAKING NEWS: Hagen Danner has been called up to the Toronto Blue Jays per sources. Pls credit Johnny Sources when it happens. #JohnnySources
Blue Jays relief prospect Hagen Danner has reportedly been called up to the major leagues
Photo credit: © Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
Aug 10, 2023, 20:20 EDT
An interesting player has reportedly been called up.
According to Johnny Giunta, the Blue Jays are calling up 24-year-old Hagen Danner, a relief pitcher.
If you’re questioning the validity of the source, don’t. Giunta has been correct (and first) with both Spencer Horwitz’s and Davis Schneider’s call-up.
What makes Hagen Danner so intriguing? Well, the right-handed pitcher was selected in the second round of the 2017 draft out of high school. He spent his first three professional season catching, before converting to a pitcher during COVID. And oh boy, have the transition ever paid off.
In his first season pitching, he pitched for High-A Vancouver and posted a 2.02 ERA and a 3.61 FIP in 35.2 innings pitched. There he had a 29.4 K% and an 8.4 BB%, pretty good numbers for a guy who hadn’t pitched since 2017. The Blue Jays added him to the 40-man roster after just one year of pitching.
Here's Hagen Danner (@HagenDanner)'s whiff/strikeout thread (of available clips) from this Arizona Fall League! We may seem him on the Jays as soon as next season. 7.2 IP 3.52 ERA 8 K (28.6 K%) 1 BB (3.6 BB%) 32 CSW% 29.41 whiff% #BlueJays #NextLevel x.com/MiLBClips/stat…
He missed pretty much all of 2022, minus a few April innings and representing the Blue Jays at the Arizona Fall League, but came back with a vengeance in 2023. He started the season with Double-A New Hampshire, where he had a 3 ERA and a 0.36 FIP in 9 innings pitched, along with a 43.2 K% and a 5.4 BB%.
With the Triple-A Buffalo Bisons, he has a 3.81 ERA and a 5.55 FIP in 28.1 innings pitched, along with a 31.5 K% and a 6.3 BB%. He’s given up his fair share of home runs (eight), but has clearly shown enough to get this call-up.
As for what he throws, Danner’s repertoire consists of a four-seam fastball, a slider, and a curveball. The fastball averages 96.5 mph, but he’s touched at least 98 mph with it. Despite that, his sharp slider that he throws at an average of 87.5 mph generates a 36.1 whiff %. Moreover, his looping curveball has only been thrown 39 times with Buffalo, but has a 38.5 whiff%.
HAGEN DANNER FILTH. BOOK IT. ✅
The big question is what corresponding move will be made. Is a pitcher (such a Ryu) injured and needed an IL stint? Is Alek Manoah going back to the minor leagues? I guess we’ll figure out soon
Danner is a great ball player and an even better human being. This opportunity is well-deserved, and it’ll be exciting to see him make his debut for the Blue Jays!
As always, you can follow me on Twitter, Instagram, and Threads @Brennan_L_D.
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