Former Atlanta Braves and Los Angeles Angels starting pitcher Tommy Hanson has died at the age of 29.
Mark Bowman of MLB.com passed along the tragic news Tuesday morning: “A Braves representative confirmed that some of Hanson’s former teammates were near Hanson when he passed away at Atlanta’s Piedmont Hospital late Monday night.”
The Braves sent out a tweet with their condolences:
According to Zach Klein of WSB-TV in Atlanta, the pitcher suffered “catastrophic organ failure.” Hanson had been in the hospital since Sunday, according to USA Today‘s Bob Nightengale.
Hanson, 29, had not appeared in a major league game since 2013. The Braves once considered him a “staff ace-in-waiting,” according to Jerry Crasnick of ESPN.com. However, shoulder issues and a decline in pitch velocity limited his productivity later in his career.
Braves shortstop Andrelton Simmons tweeted out his condolences:
He went 21-15 with a solid 3.16 ERA for the Braves from 2009 to 2010 before injuries became an issue. Hanson was part of the San Francisco Giants’ minor league system in 2015 and finished with a 4.76 ERA in 15 starts across two levels.
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