Jameson
Hannah

4/25/18 - Strong and athletic with elite body control, he bears a strong physical resemblance to current MLer, Ben Revere. I’ve seen Hannah many times throughout his college career, both at DBU and in Cape Cod. After his NCAA leading 35-game hit streak (55 if you include an additional 20 straight games to finish his summer in the Cape) came to an end Friday night, he put on a laser show in batting practice as the ball jumped off his bat to all fields. During the game, he set up in the back of the box with a slightly open stance, showed good pre-pitch rhythm and loaded with bat tilt. Unlike many others who load in a similar fashion, the tilt does not cause him to loop. Hannah takes a direct path to the ball, much due to his incredible hand strength. His swing was smooth, easy and generated good bat speed. So far this season, he leads the DBU hitters with the highest exit velocity of 111 mph. Another strength is his pitch recognition as he is able to identify pitches early. Reportedly, his weakness as a hitter is against lefties with better than average breaking balls. On this day he spit on several average breaking balls from an 87-90 mph lefty. He saw the pitch well and looked very comfortable in the box, taking several for balls just off the outside corner. I have little concern about his ability to adjust to better left-handed breakers as he sees more in the future in pro ball. His 2018 season splits are .446/.500/.651 vs RHPs and .298/.400/.468 vs LHPs. However, last season he hit better against lefties (.378) than righties (.306). Although I didn’t get a home-to-first run time today, I’ve had him in the past consistently around 4.0. He’s even faster underway with an extra gear when he needs it. He didn’t have the opportunity to show it today, but the extra gear while rounding second base, heading to third on a triple is eye-opening. When you combine his running speed and high exit velocity of the ball off the bat, he should be a high BABIP. The stats confirm it with an excellent rate of .457 this spring. Showed fair base stealing instincts while reading a lefty pitcher with a good pickoff move. Currently 5-for-6 in stolen bases this spring after going 9-for-10 last year and 11-for-16 as a freshman. Defensively, he was not challenged on this look. No balls to run down in the gaps or throws to make on an opposing runner. However, one thing I did notice was that he starts flat-footed without any pre-pitch movement. This approach makes it much more difficult to get a good jump on the ball off the bat, However, it is usually an easy correction. Really just a mental adjustment, remembering to do it and forming the habit. Also showed a below average arm in pre-game with a compact arm action. It’s currently adequate for center field and his arm circle could be lengthened a bit for potentially more arm strength in the future. I’ve always been bullish about Hannah’s draft status and continue to be. He was impressive in all facets of the game. He has tools, skills, aptitude and the intangibles to be a high round pick. If Ben Revere and Corey Ray were first-rounders, so is Jameson Hannah. 

3/7/18 - 5’11/190 Junior. Athletic, lean-muscular, fast-twitch frame. Hitting at the top of the DBU lineup, Hannah, a left-handed hitter, has quick-strong hands and a balanced swing. Confident demeanor at the plate, elite eye-hand coordination. On a day when most hitters in the lineup were struggling against a left-handed pitcher throwing 87-90 mph with arm side run, and a sharp 75-77 mph curveball, Hannah was on time with every pitch he saw. Takes pitches with easy rhythm, picks the ball up early out of the hand. Grounded out to second base on a curveball in his first at-bat, running a 4.07. In his second at-bat he took two curveballs for strikes, then laced a missile to left field on a two-strike fastball. Singled sharply up the middle on a curveball in his third at-bat, and singled sharply through the right side on his fifth at-bat. Has above average range in the outfield, runs easy with long strides. He has a below average arm move him from center to leftfield at the next level.