You may not know Chicago Cubs minor league outfielder Jacob Hannemann’s name yet, but chances are if you’ve watched ESPN’s SportCenter over the summer, you’ve seen him at least once. It’s rare for a Double-A player to make the Sportscenter highlights package even once, but Hannemann managed that in his first start for the Tennessee Smokies.
“It was awesome, the first time seeing that,” Hannemann said. “It was special. That was a crazy day. We’d just got on a 9-hour bus ride in (High-A) Myrtle Beach, then found out I was coming here. Then it was an hour cab ride and two flights, so by the time I got here, I had a lot of adrenaline running. I just tried to treat it like a Myrtle Beach game.”
And then he got on Sportcenter again a month later. Then, a third time a month after that. At this pace by the time he makes his major league debut, the 24-year-old outfielder should have his SAG card.
Hannemann, from Kahaku, Hawaii, was drafted by the Kansas City Royals in the 48th round out of high school, but chose another route that elite baseball prospects don’t normally choose; he went on a two-year mission with the Mormon Church. Not only that, but while Hannemann was playing baseball at Lone Peak High School in Highland, Utah, he was also a pretty good football player. Good enough to land a scholarship to play at BYU. Hannemann took the scholarship, but never played a down for the Cougars. He redshirted his freshman year after his mission trip and after a stellar season with the baseball team, was drafted in the third round of the 2013 draft by the Cubs. A $1 million signing bonus later and he was a pro.
“It was a little tough (making the decision to leave college),” Hannemann said. “My brother (Michah Hannemann) is there right now playing at BYU and we could have been the starting corners right now. I had to think about the opportunity that was in front of me. The Cubs made that really easy. The door was open. It was given to me before my mission and given to me after. I wasn’t going to take my chances on a third time.”
While Hannemann’s defense in the outfield has been spectacular enough to make him the team’s highlight-reel superstar, his performance at the plate has been a disappointment. Hannemann is batting .239 coming into Saturday night’s game with the Jacksonville Suns. He has 118 strikeouts this season, which ties his minor league career high and there’s still a week and a half to go in the minor league season. Hannemann does have plenty of power when he does connect with the ball with five home runs, 19 doubles and three triples, but the issues with the bat in his hands are new to the former two-sport star.
“I’ve never struggled with offense my whole life growing up,” Hannemann said. “I’m working to get that confidence back. The pitching is a lot better here. I feel like while I was growing up I could just swing and hit everything. Now, the pitchers know what they’re doing.”
Prospect watch
Seven games back with just nine games to go, the Smokies season will end, barring something unprecedented happening, on Sept. 7 against the Biloxi Shuckers. The team’s MVP this year is unquestionably catcher Willson Contreras, who has kept a batting average over .300 (currently .327) all season long as he auditions for other MLB teams for the upcoming Rule 5 draft. Catcher Taylor Davis (batting .319) has been nearly as good in his two stints with Tennessee, which is probably why he’s spent much of the season shuffling back and forth between the Smokies and the Triple-A Iowa Cubs. Billy McKinney and Top 10 prospect Albert Almora Jr. have both pushed their averages up to respectability as the season draws to a close. Almora Jr. is batting .271 and McKinner is at .285.
Pitching is where the Smokies have really flourished in the second half. Ryan Williams (9-2 in Double-1, 15-4 overall) will likely be the Cubs’ minor league pitcher of the year. His 2.12 ERA in 22 starts in Low-A South Bend and Tennessee is outstanding, especially considering that the Cubs were so impressed with his performance in South Bend that they never sent him to High-A Myrtle Beach for a single game.
Pierce Johnson (6-2, 2.22 ERA) has also been stellar this season and P.J. Fracescon (4-2, 21 saves) has been a stellar closer.
