According to a report from Zach Klein of WSB-TV in Atlanta, former Atlanta Braves starting pitcher Tommy Hanson is in a coma at an Atlanta hospital. This report has not been confirmed, except for a tweet from the Los Angeles Angels, one of his former teams, that said, "Sending out thoughts to former #Angels SP, Tommy Hanson, at this time."
Hanson spent five years in the major leagues, with four of those coming with Atlanta. While with the Braves, he was widely considered one of the better young pitchers in baseball before he ran into shoulder problems that hampered his career.
In his first three seasons with Atlanta, he pitched over 450 innings, posting an ERA of 3.28. In 2011, he had two different stints on the disabled list, both for shoulder issues. Over the next two seasons, he pitched under 250 innings, posting a 4.76 ERA.
He has spent the last two seasons in the minors trying to make a comeback. In 2014, he was with the Triple-A affiliate of the Chicago White Sox, where he posted a 6.16 ERA over 49 2/3 innings. Last season was spend in the San Francisco Giants minor league system, where he first played for the San Jose Giants, then was reassigned to the Sacramento Rally Cats. Over the whole season, he pitched 70 innings, posting a 4.76 ERA. He had just elected free agency on Friday afternoon.
Hanson was drafted in the 22nd round of the 2005 draft by Atlanta, and made his major league debut in 2009. He has posted a career record of 49-35, with a 3.80 ERA. He has thrown a total of 708 innings between Atlanta and Los Angeles.
There hasn't been any reports on the exact reason why Hanson is in a coma. Stay tuned for more updates on the condition of the former big leaguer.