Drafted in 2008 in the 1st round, Jack Hanski Jr. had a bright future ahead of him in a strong organization. Having spent three seasons in college, he was already very developed by the time he was drafted. Skipping a couple of minor league levels, he managed to start four games in AA Mobile in 2008. After dominating those starts to a tune of 3-0 with a 1.47 ERA, he was shipped to AAA to start the 2009 season. Although he did reach the major league level by late 2009, it was not a banner year for Hanski. He finished that year with a 5-8 record, and a bloated 4.58 ERA. He did pitch well as a September callup out of the pen late in 2009.
Things started to turn for the better in 2010 where after 23 starts at AAA and a 15-4 record with a 3.69 ERA he was called up to Montreal and his minor league days were over. He struggled through his 11 starts at the ML level that year going 5-5 with a 6.78 ERA, but Blazers management liked what they saw from Hanski.
2011 rolled around and Hanski was slotted into the bullpen on a strong Blazers team that would eventually go on to win the Landis that season. He had a strong season out of the pen going 3-1 with 2 saves and a tidy 2.79 ERA. This is when Blazers management was starting to wonder if he was better suited as a reliever then a starter.
2012 saw Hanski bounce back and forth from the rotation and the pen. He made a career high 18 starts that year, and 22 relief appearances. Although he did win 11 games that year he seemed to be better suited as a reliever then a starter. Not what Blazers management had hoped for when they selected him in the 1st round.
2013 saw another shift back to the pen as Hanski made 34 relief appearances and only 1 start. Although his ERA looked better on paper at 3.93, that didn't tell the story for him that year. His 1.47 WHIP was his highest since he rookie year in 2010. He really struggled to throw strikes that year as he walked 23 in 55 innings.
This season has seen a shift back to the rotation on a full time basis out of necessity more then anything. Lacking a #5 starter, the Blazers instructed Hanski to prepare as a starting pitcher this offseason. While has hasn't actually lit it up this year, he has managed to keep his team in most games he has pitched. His QS% is only at 50, but he has thrown 2 complete games and 1 shutout to this point while winning 7 games.
While he hasn't turned out to be the top 3 starter he was projected to be on draft day, Hanski is the type of guy that can be very valuable. He can go back and forth from the rotation and the pen and contribute in a positive way. He has almost been traded several times, but his value is proving to be more then his star rating would suggest to the Blazers organization.
), so having a guy that won't embarass himself in some spot starts is pretty important. Plus, also imo, since a long reliever is, in theory, a guy that needs to go multiple times through a lineup (ie. the mid 2nd through 6th or something similiar) then he should be profiled as a SP with decent stam and multiple pitches. When you can get all of that consistently from a guy that will never ask for more than 1.5-2M/year then you have to be pretty happy about it - its something that I enjoyed with the much maligned Coy Davis for a long time.