Alen Rery Hanson Michel (born October 22, 1992) is a Dominican

professional baseball Professional baseball is organized baseball in which players are selected for their talents and are paid to play for a specific team or club system. It is played in baseball league, leagues and associated farm teams throughout the world. Mod ...

infielder An infielder is a baseball player stationed at one of four defensive "infield" positions on the baseball field. Standard arrangement of positions In a game of baseball, two teams of nine players take turns playing offensive and defensive roles. ...

who is a free agent. A second baseman and

outfielder An outfielder is a person playing in one of the three defensive positions in baseball or softball, farthest from the batter. These defenders are the left fielder, the center fielder, and the right fielder. As an outfielder, their duty is to cat ...

, Hanson made his

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...

(MLB) debut with the

Pittsburgh Pirates The Pittsburgh Pirates are an American professional baseball team based in Pittsburgh. The Pirates compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) Central division. Founded as part of the American Associati ...

on May 17, 2016, and has also played for the

Chicago White Sox The Chicago White Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The White Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. The team is owned by Jerry Reinsdorf, and p ...

San Francisco Giants The San Francisco Giants are an American professional baseball team based in San Francisco, California. The Giants compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Founded in 1883 as the New Yor ...

, and

Toronto Blue Jays The Toronto Blue Jays are a Canadian professional baseball team based in Toronto. The Blue Jays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Since 1989, the team has played its home games ...

Professional career

Pittsburgh Pirates

Minor leagues

On July 14, 2009, the

signed Hanson as an international

free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under contract at present but who is a ...

for $90,000. In 2010, Hanson played his first year of rookie-level Minor League Baseball as a member of the

Gulf Coast League Pirates The Florida Complex League Pirates are a Rookie-level affiliate of the Pittsburgh Pirates, competing in the Florida Complex League of Minor League Baseball. Prior to 2021, the team was known as the Gulf Coast League Pirates. The team plays its h ...

. In the 68 games he played in 2010, Hanson

hit Hit means to strike someone or something. Hit or HIT may also refer to: Arts, entertainment and media Fictional entities * Hit, a fictional character from '' Dragon Ball Super'' * Homicide International Trust, or HIT, a fictional organization ...

.324 with 28

runs batted in A run batted in (RBI; plural RBIs ) is a statistic in baseball and softball that credits a batter for making a play that allows a run to be scored (except in certain situations such as when an error is made on the play). For example, if the bat ...

(RBIs), seven

triples TripleS (stylized as tripleS; Help:IPA/English, /ˈtɹɪpəl:ɛs/; ) is a South Korean girl group formed by MODHAUS. They aim to be the world's first decentralized K-pop idol group. The members will rotate between the group, sub-unit, and solo ac ...

, and 20

stolen base In baseball, a stolen base occurs when a runner advances to a base to which they are not entitled and the official scorer rules that the advance should be credited to the action of the runner. The umpires determine whether the runner is safe or ...

s. In 2011, Hanson again played for the GCL Pirates. In 52 games, Hanson hit .263 with 35 RBIs, seven triples, and 24 stolen bases. Hanson's seven triples led the

Gulf Coast League The Florida Complex League (FCL) is a rookie-level Minor League Baseball league that operates in Florida, United States. Before 2021, it was known as the Gulf Coast League (GCL). Together with the Arizona Complex League (ACL), it forms the lo ...

in 2011. In July 2012, Hanson was named the 40th-best prospect in baseball by

Baseball America ''Baseball America'' is a sports enterprise that covers baseball at every level, including MLB, with a particular focus on up-and-coming players in the MiLB, college, high school, and international leagues. It is currently published in the form o ...

in their Midseason Top 50 Prospects List. Hanson spent the 2012 season with the Pirates' Class A affiliate, the

West Virginia Power The Charleston Dirty Birds are an American professional baseball team based in Charleston, West Virginia. They are a member of the South Division of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball, a partner league of Major League Baseball. The Dir ...

of the

South Atlantic League The South Atlantic League, often informally called the Sally League, is a Minor League Baseball league with teams predominantly in states along the Atlantic coast of the United States from New York to Georgia. A Class A league for most of its ...

. Hanson had a strong season for the Power. He played 124 games and hit .309 with 16 home runs, 62 RBIs, 13 triples, 39 stolen bases, 55 walks, and 99

runs scored In baseball, a run is scored when a player advances around first, second and third base and returns safely to home plate, touching the bases in that order, before three outs are recorded and all obligations to reach base safely on batted balls ...

. He was named an All-Star. Prior to the 2013 season, Hanson was ranked as the 54th-best prospect in baseball by

MLB.com MLB.com is the official site of Major League Baseball and is overseen by Major League Baseball Advanced Media, L.P. (a subsidiary of MLB). MLB.com is a source of baseball-related information, including baseball news, statistics, and sports column ...

, and the 61st-best prospect by

. Hanson began the 2013 season with the

High-A High-A (officially Class High-A, formerly known as Class A-Advanced, and sometimes abbreviated "A+" in writing) is the third-highest level of play in Minor League Baseball in the United States and Canada, below Triple-A and Double-A, and abov ...

Bradenton Marauders The Bradenton Marauders are a Minor League Baseball team of the Florida State League and the Single-A affiliate of the Pittsburgh Pirates. They are located in Bradenton, Florida, and play their home games at LECOM Park, which also serves as th ...

. In 92 games with the Marauders, Hanson hit .281 with seven home runs, 48 RBIs, and 24 stolen bases. On July 28, Hanson was promoted to the Pirates' Double-A affiliate, the

Altoona Curve The Altoona Curve are a Minor League Baseball team based in Altoona, Pennsylvania, named after nearby Horseshoe Curve (but also alluding to the curveball, a type of pitch). The team plays in the Eastern League and is the Double-A affiliate of the ...

. In 35 games with the Curve during the 2013 season, Hanson hit .255 with 10 RBIs, 6 stolen bases, and just a single home run. Hanson was added to the Pirates'

40-man roster A Major League Baseball roster is a list of players who are allowed, by league agreement, to play for a Major League Baseball (MLB) team. Each MLB team maintains two rosters: an active roster of players eligible to participate in an MLB game, and ...

on November 20, 2013. Hanson spent the entire 2014 season with the Curve. In 118 games, he hit .280 with 11 home runs, 64 RBIs, 12 triples, and 25 stolen bases. In August 2014, the Pirates announced that they would be moving Hanson, primarily a

shortstop Shortstop, abbreviated SS, is the baseball or softball fielding position between second and third base, which is considered to be among the most demanding defensive positions. Historically the position was assigned to defensive specialists who ...

, to second base. At the time of the announcement, Hanson had committed 61 errors in 227 games in 2013 and 2014. Larry Broadway, the Pirates' Director of Minor League Operations, indicated that the move was to increase Hanson's versatility, saying, "we still believe he can play shortstop and believe he will play shortstop for us at some point in the future. Adding this dimension to his game will give him additional opportunity to impact our organization at the Major League level when he is ready." Hanson spent the entire 2015 season with the Pirates' Triple-A affiliate, the

Indianapolis Indians The Indianapolis Indians are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League (IL) and the Triple-A affiliate of the Pittsburgh Pirates. They are located in Indianapolis, Indiana, and play their home games at Victory Field, which open ...

. Hanson played 117 games for the Indians and hit .263 with six home runs, 43 RBIs, and 12 triples. Hanson also stole 35 bases, tying his personal best from 2012. Entering the 2016 season,

ranked Hanson as the 10th-best prospect in the Pirates organization, and the 6th-best prospect amongst second basemen. Hanson began the 2016 season with the Indianapolis Indians.

Major leagues

On May 16, 2016, the Pirates promoted Hanson to the major league club after

Starling Marte Starling Javier Marte (born October 9, 1988) is a Dominican professional baseball outfielder for the New York Mets of Major League Baseball (MLB). He previously played in MLB for the Pittsburgh Pirates, Arizona Diamondbacks, Miami Marlins, and Oa ...

went on

paternity leave Parental leave, or family leave, is an employee benefit available in almost all countries. The term "parental leave" may include maternity, paternity, and adoption leave; or may be used distinctively from "maternity leave" and "paternity l ...

. Pirates manager

Clint Hurdle Clinton Merrick Hurdle (born July 30, 1957) is an American former Major League Baseball (MLB) outfielder and manager. Hurdle played for the Kansas City Royals, Cincinnati Reds, New York Mets, and St. Louis Cardinals, and managed the Colorado Rock ...

said that Hanson would return to the minors when Marte returned. Hurdle noted that Hanson would likely be recalled again later in the season, but still had yet to prove himself in Triple-A. Hanson said that, when he called his mother to tell her the news, she accidentally hung up and celebrated, while Hanson waited in silence for nearly 10 minutes. On May 17, Hanson made his big league debut, striking out in a

pinch-hit In baseball, a pinch hitter is a substitute Batting (baseball), batter. Batters can be substituted at any time while the dead ball (baseball), ball is dead (not in active play); the manager (baseball), manager may use any player who has not yet ...

appearance. On May 18, Hanson recorded his first MLB hit. Entering the game in the 5th inning as a

pinch hitter In baseball, a pinch hitter is a substitute Batting (baseball), batter. Batters can be substituted at any time while the dead ball (baseball), ball is dead (not in active play); the manager (baseball), manager may use any player who has not yet ...

, Hanson reached base on an

infield hit An infield hit is an outcome in baseball in which the batted ball stays in the infield, but neither the batter nor any runners are put out. If the batter and runners reach safely due to an error An error (from the Latin ''error'', meaning "w ...

. Hanson said after the game that he planned to send the ball to his home in the

Dominican Republic The Dominican Republic ( ; es, República Dominicana, ) is a country located on the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles archipelago of the Caribbean region. It occupies the eastern five-eighths of the island, which it shares wit ...

as a present for his mother. Hanson, out of minor league options, opened the 2017 season on the Pirates MLB roster. He was designated for assignment on June 2.

Chicago White Sox

On June 9, 2017 the

claimed Hanson off waivers. Hanson was added to the team's 25-man roster the following day. On December 1, 2017, Hanson was non-tendered and became a free agent.

San Francisco Giants

Hanson signed a minor league contract with the

on December 22, 2017, receiving a non-roster invitation to spring training. He began the 2018 season with the

Sacramento River Cats The Sacramento River Cats are a Minor League Baseball team of the Pacific Coast League (PCL) and are the Triple-A affiliate of the San Francisco Giants. Prior to 2015, the River Cats were the Triple-A affiliate of the Oakland Athletics for 15 yea ...

of the Class AAA

Pacific Coast League The Pacific Coast League (PCL) is a Minor League Baseball league that operates in the Western United States. Along with the International League, it is one of two leagues playing at the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A level, which is one grade bel ...

. After a hand injury to starting second baseman

Joe Panik Joseph Matthew Panik (born October 30, 1990) is an American former professional baseball second baseman. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the San Francisco Giants, New York Mets, Toronto Blue Jays, and Miami Marlins. Panik was an A ...

, Hanson was promoted by the Giants on April 28 after hitting .403 in 62 at bats for the River Cats with five doubles and three home runs. On March 28, 2019, Hanson was designated for assignment after failing to make the Opening Day roster.

Toronto Blue Jays

On April 2, 2019, the Giants traded Hanson,

Derek Law Derek Robert Law (born September 14, 1990) is an American professional baseball pitcher who is a free agent. He has previously played in MLB for the San Francisco Giants, Toronto Blue Jays, Minnesota Twins, Detroit Tigers and Cincinnati Reds. Am ...

, and Juan De Paula to the

for

Kevin Pillar Kevin Andrew Pillar () (born January 4, 1989) is an American professional baseball outfielder who is a free agent. He has played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Toronto Blue Jays, San Francisco Giants, Boston Red Sox, Colorado Rockies, Ne ...

. Hanson was called up by the Blue Jays on April 4. He was designated for assignment on May 3. He was outrighted to the Triple-A

Buffalo Bisons The Buffalo Bisons (known colloquially as the Herd) are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A affiliate of the Toronto Blue Jays. Located in Buffalo, New York, the team plays their home games at Sahlen Fiel ...

on May 7. Hanson was released by the organization on August 3, 2019. He ended his stint with Toronto hitting only .163 in 18 games.

Seattle Mariners

On January 23, 2020, Hanson signed a minor league deal with the

Seattle Mariners The Seattle Mariners are an American professional baseball team based in Seattle. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League West, West division. The team joined the American League ...

that included an invitation to spring training. He was released by the Mariners organization on June 25, 2020. On June 17, 2021, Hanson re-signed with the Mariners on a new minor league contract (

Tacoma Rainiers The Tacoma Rainiers are a Minor League Baseball team of the Pacific Coast League (PCL) and the Triple-A affiliate of the Seattle Mariners. They are located in Tacoma, Washington, and play their home games at Cheney Stadium, which opened in 1960. ...

). He elected free agency on November 7, 2021.

Other

In 2020-2021 and 2021-2022 Hanson played winter ball with the

Toros del Este The Los Toros del Este (formerly Azucareros del Este) are a baseball team in the Dominican Winter League established in . Based in the eastern city of La Romana, the Toros have won three championship series in their history, winning the title in ...

in the

Dominican Professional Baseball League Dominican may refer to: * Someone or something from or related to the Dominican Republic ( , stress on the "mi"), on the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles, in the Caribbean ** People of the Dominican Republic ** Demographics of the Dom ...

International career

In 2020, Hanson was selected to the French national baseball team roster for the 2021 World Baseball Classic qualifier in

Arizona Arizona ( ; nv, Hoozdo Hahoodzo ; ood, Alĭ ṣonak ) is a state in the Southwestern United States. It is the 6th largest and the 14th most populous of the 50 states. Its capital and largest city is Phoenix. Arizona is part of the Fou ...

. Though born in the

, he is eligible to play for Team France because of his

French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...

ancestry.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hanson, Alen 1992 births Living people Altoona Curve players Bradenton Marauders players Buffalo Bisons (minor league) players Chicago White Sox players Dominican Republic expatriate baseball players in Canada Dominican Republic expatriate baseball players in the United States Dominican Republic people of French descent Dominican Summer League Pirates players Gulf Coast Pirates players Indianapolis Indians players Major League Baseball infielders Major League Baseball players from the Dominican Republic People from La Romana, Dominican Republic Pittsburgh Pirates players Sacramento River Cats players San Francisco Giants players Scottsdale Scorpions players State College Spikes players Tacoma Rainiers players Toronto Blue Jays players Toros del Este players West Virginia Power players