Jack Hannahan

by Ryan on Sep 13, 2011 5:53 AM EDT in Analysis

This two-part series is titled "Moneyball Players of Today," and while it would be obvious to pick a player who gets on base or didn't look good in jeans, I've opted to choose a player whose game has been undervalued for a totally different reason.

When the Indians signed Jack Hannahan as a minor-league free agent last winter, the move didn't attract much attention, even for a club who didn't really have a starting third baseman. Remember that in 2010 third base was a revolving door, with Jhonny Peralta (the .698 OPS version) starting the year there, and Luis Valbuena, Jayson Nix, and Andy Marte sharing time at the position after Peralta was traded. None of the four gave the Indians anything resembling a competent third baseman. Peralta actually came the closest, posting a 94 OPS+ along with below-average defense at the position. His three replacements were much worse; Nix was awful at the position, and his offensive production cratered after the move from second, and neither Valbuena nor Marte did anything in their brief playing time at third.

The good news was that the Indians seemed to have a long-term solution in Lonnie Chisenhall, a 22-year-old who had just held his own in Akron. But he wasn't really ready for the majors, so the Indians needed a stopgap for at least a half-season. The stopgap would preferably be a good defender, with any offensive production provided a bonus. The Indians were planning that stopgap to be Jason Donald. Donald had been exclusively a shortstop in the Philadelphia organization before his trade to Cleveland, but the Indians were going to move him to third for the 2011 season. That is, before he broke his finger in a spring training game. Donald's injury opened the competition back up to an unattractive field: Jayson Nix was still around, as was Luis Valbuena. And there was also Jack Hannahan, who had a signed a minor-league deal with the Indians in the offseason.

Hannahan had spent most of his career in the Detroit system, where he posted decent offensive numbers, but kept getting promoted because of his defense. He would play just 3 games with the Tigers, and was traded in August of 2007 to Oakland for Jason Perry in a sort of challenge trade. Hannahan would get his break with Oakland, as Eric Chavez missed a half of the 2007 season and practically all of the 2008 and 2009 seasons. Jack did well in 41 games with the A's in 2007, but he was awful at the plate in 2008 (.218/.305/.342) and even worse in 2009 (.193/.278/.303). Jack played Gold Glove-level defense at third, and was actually posted a positive WAR (Wins Above Replacement) in 2008, but his offense was so bad in 2009 that the A's had to part with him. He was dealt to Seattle in July of that year, and hit a bit better while filling in for Adrian Beltre. Beltre would leave after the season, but the Mariners would sign Chone Figgins in his place, so Hannahan would have to make the club as a utility player. He didn't, so he spent the year in AAA, first with Tacoma, and then with Pawtucket, Boston's AAA club. A free agent for the first time in his career, he signed with the Indians in the hopes of snagging a starting job at third base.

When Donald went down, Hannahan had his opportunity, and made the most of it. He had hit well that spring, and so he won the starting job, at least until Donald was healthy again. Donald would not return to the majors until July 31st, and by then was mainly a second baseman. Hannahan would instead lose playing time to Lonnie Chisenhall, who also came up in late June.

Hannahan's overall offensive line (.248/.330/.388, 101 OPS+) is a bit misleading. He started the season off hot, but then fell into a three month offensive drought, not topping a .600 OPS in May, June, or July. That was the reason the Indians brought Chisenhall up. He hit like Albert Pujols in August (.420/.491/.660), so that brought his season averages back towards league-average.

But Hannahan's calling card has always been his defense, and he's been fantastic with the glove all season. He's been at the top of the defensive leader boards in both traditional and advanced rate categories. He currently ranks first among AL third basemen in Fielding Percentage and Range Factor/9, and ranks only behind Adrian Beltre and Alex Rodriguez in UZR/150. A sample of some of his better plays:

So what's the future for Jack Hannahan with the Indians? The Indians have him under control through the 2013 season, so they don't necessarily have to make a full commitment to Lonnie Chisenhall just yet. But if Chisenhall makes a normal progression in 2012, Hannahan should not be taking playing time away from him, even given his defensive value. I think Hannahan and Chisenhall are on next year's Opening Day roster, and if everything goes to plan, the Indians will trade Hannahan after Chisenhall breaks out at the major-league level.

Player Value

Year	Age	Tm	Lg	PA	Rbat	Rbaser	Rroe	Rdp	Rfield	Rpos	Rrep	RAR	WAR	oRAR	oWAR	dWAR	Salary	Pos	Awards
2011	31	CLE	AL	349	1	0	-1	-0	9	1	12	21	2.2	13	1.3	0.9	$	*5/3
CLE (1 yr)				349	1	0	-1	-0	9	1	12	21	2.2	13	1.3	0.9	$

Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 9/13/2011.

Offensive Statistics

Year	Age	Tm	Lg	G	PA	AB	H	2B	3B	HR	BB	SO	BA	OBP	SLG	OPS	OPS+	TB	Pos
2001	21	DET-min	A,A-	60	261	225	70	15	1	1	31	46	.311	.391	.400	.791		90	WMI,ONE · MIDW,NYPL
2002	22	DET-min	A+,AA	131	536	472	121	23	2	9	57	94	.256	.338	.371	.708		175	LAK,ERI · FLOR,EL
2003	23	DET-min	AA	135	529	471	121	18	0	9	48	78	.257	.328	.352	.681		166	ERI · EL
2004	24	DET-min	AA	108	431	374	102	21	1	8	53	60	.273	.365	.398	.764		149	ERI · EL
2005	25	DET-min	AAA,AA	75	295	260	67	15	0	4	29	66	.258	.336	.362	.697		94	TOL,ERI · IL,EL
2006	26	DET-min	AAA	119	494	415	117	27	0	9	61	114	.282	.379	.412	.791		171	TOL · IL
2006	26	DET	AL	3	10	9	0	0	0	0	1	1	.000	.100	.000	.100	-71	0	/3D
2007	27	DET-min	AAA	101	417	336	99	20	1	13	76	92	.295	.422	.476	.898		160	TOL · IL
2007	27	OAK	AL	41	169	144	40	12	0	3	21	39	.278	.369	.424	.793	115	61	5
2008	28	OAK	AL	143	501	436	95	27	0	9	55	131	.218	.305	.342	.647	76	149	*53/D
2009	29	OAK-min	AAA	21	88	81	18	7	0	2	7	27	.222	.284	.383	.667		31	SAC · PCL
2009	29	TOT	AL	103	301	267	57	14	2	4	30	71	.213	.297	.326	.623	67	87	53/64
2009	29	OAK	AL	52	134	119	23	6	2	1	13	36	.193	.278	.303	.581	54	36	5/34
2009	29	SEA	AL	51	167	148	34	8	0	3	17	35	.230	.311	.345	.656	77	51	53/6

2011	31	CLE	AL	104	349	307	76	15	2	8	36	76	.248	.330	.388	.718	101	119	*5/3
5 Seasons				394	1330	1163	268	68	4	24	143	318	.230	.316	.358	.674	84	416
162 Game Avg.				162	547	478	110	28	2	10	59	131	.230	.316	.358	.674	84	171

OAK (3 yrs)				236	804	699	158	45	2	13	89	206	.226	.314	.352	.666	80	246
CLE (1 yr)				104	349	307	76	15	2	8	36	76	.248	.330	.388	.718	101	119
SEA (1 yr)				51	167	148	34	8	0	3	17	35	.230	.311	.345	.656	77	51
DET (1 yr)				3	10	9	0	0	0	0	1	1	.000	.100	.000	.100	-71	0

Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 9/13/2011.

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Comments

You can’t fool me. That’s Chisenhall in the picture!

by cleveland teamer on Sep 13, 2011 9:26 AM EDT reply actions

At any rate, nice to give Hannahan some recognition for his contributions this season.

by cleveland teamer on Sep 13, 2011 9:30 AM EDT up reply actions

The AP caption misidentified him. I’ve posted another picture.

by Ryan on Sep 13, 2011 9:33 AM EDT up reply actions

by Brick. on Sep 13, 2011 9:42 AM EDT via mobile reply actions

He makes Matt LaPorta look like a competent first baseman.

by emd2k3 on Sep 13, 2011 10:29 AM EDT reply actions

Give him the Gold (Glove)!

by JulioBernazard on Sep 13, 2011 10:40 AM EDT reply actions

Great write-up and one of the good stories of 2011.

by Toxicadam on Sep 13, 2011 10:48 AM EDT reply actions

Thanks – this was a lot of fun

by stuart dean on Sep 13, 2011 11:17 AM EDT reply actions

It’s (in part) players like Hannahan that make being a more-than-casual fan of the team fun. Knowing I was witnessing – or at least listening to – something special that most people were missing made the season that much more enjoyable even as injuries sapped our hopes on contention. I’m not sure what Jack’s future with the Tribe holds, but I’ve appreciated his contributions this year.

Trombone/creamy/soda.

by Joel D on Sep 13, 2011 1:28 PM EDT via mobile reply actions

Man, that last highlight is slick.

Matt LaPorta is the bane of my existence.

by USSChoo on Sep 13, 2011 2:05 PM EDT reply actions

Unfortunately his undervalued defense will mean he probably won’t net much in return through a trade. If he is interested in the idea i would like to see him attempt to play around the infield a bit more to gain utility status. I’d say I’d like him in the organization next year as just the possibility of him having a career type year on the offensive end could put him up as a very valuable commodity.

by hans on Sep 13, 2011 2:43 PM EDT reply actions

Is defense really undervalued anymore?

by TKilbane on Sep 13, 2011 2:55 PM EDT up reply actions

For whatever reason, it doesn’t seem like teams make mid-season and/or deadline deals to acquire a glove. I would guess that the perceived marginal value of adding a bat, particularly to a contending team, is deemed greater than the value of adding a late inning defensive replacement.

by tflannery on Sep 13, 2011 4:31 PM EDT up reply actions

The 2004 Red Sox made deadline deals to acquire OCab (then a glove) and Dave Roberts (a pair of sneakers). Those deals don’t tend to make big headlines.

Would love to see Hannahan work on his shortstop skills over the winter. If we keep him, that would tend to relegate Cord Phelps to a depth option in Columbus to start 2012, but then again, that first depth option probably will have an opportunity regardless.

by Jay on Sep 13, 2011 9:22 PM EDT up reply actions

I was going to write a replay about the “return” a team gets for trading a defensive minded player like OCab, and as it turns out the Expos got two OCabs in return (Brenden Harris and Alex Gonzalez) along with a guy who shares the same last name as Carlos Beltran but nothing else. So I guess it’s possible the Indians can turn one Hannahan into two Hannahan’s if lucky.

This also happens to be the Doug Mientkiewicz deal (it was a four team deal between Boston, Montreal, Minnesota, and the Cubs, which centered around Nomar Garciaparra heading to Chicago) that was mentioned below. The Twins got a guy named Justin Jones who never made it to the bigs and now looks to be in an independent league.

So I think my point still stands, that any return for Hannahan will be minimal (though I am intrigued by cloning him and getting two of him in return).

by hans on Sep 14, 2011 9:15 AM EDT up reply actions

OCab at the time certainly was viewed as a more competent hitter than Hannahan has been, but maybe that’s changing. I doubt it, though.

by Jay on Sep 14, 2011 4:27 PM EDT up reply actions

With the discussion of the MVP award I constantly read that WAR overvalues defense (mostly from non-saber sources)

by AllenSmith on Sep 13, 2011 4:44 PM EDT up reply actions

I’d be interested to see some links about this.

WAR values defense more than people are accustomed to valuing it, i.e., zero. Naturally, those who look first at RBI totals are going to feel that WAR rankings are “in the wrong order.”

I think there is a fair case, however, that WAR overvalues defense relative to the reliability of defensive metrics. That is, even if the weighting is correct for pure win-value purposes, defense probably should be weighted less purely because it’s less reliable than offensive metrics, replacement value and positional value.

by Jay on Sep 13, 2011 9:24 PM EDT up reply actions

This is actually a very interesting criticism of WAR and one that addresses something I’ve wrestled with for a while, given that defensive metrics seem erratic at best right now. Seeing as how they play such a big role in WAR, I’ve always been hesitant to take much stock in the Fansgraphian “analysis” that uses WAR as the end-all, be-all.

by The DiaTriber on Sep 13, 2011 10:16 PM EDT up reply actions

I think WAR is not an end-all, but it’s a pretty useful tool to at least get your bearings when comparing players. But it should be the start, not the end of a comparison. And I agree that we’re still a long way away from accurately evaluating defense.

In Hannahan’s case, his WAR isn’t too controversial, because there’s a lot of corroborating data that he is a fantastic defender. This isn’t like Baseball Prospectus rating Jhonny Peralta as a Gold Glove caliber defender at shortstop for all those years. A 2.2 WAR pegs Hannahan as a Starter-caliber player, mostly due to his defense. That seems right to me.

by Ryan on Sep 14, 2011 6:15 AM EDT up reply actions

Why not look to trade Chisenhall to upgrade somewhere else (1B, SP) and commit to Hannahan?

by hans on Sep 14, 2011 9:19 AM EDT up reply actions

Hannahan is 31 and having the best offensive year of his career. I love me some Hannahan, but there’s no way I’d head into next year with him and Donald as the only options.

by callmrplow on Sep 14, 2011 9:31 AM EDT up reply actions

Echoing Mr. Plow, Hannahan’s having a career offensive year. No way you trade Chisenhall because of what Hannahan did this year.

by Ryan on Sep 14, 2011 12:11 PM EDT up reply actions

That is absolutely crazy.

Chisenhall is the odds-on favorite to be our most valuable asset a year from now.

by Jay on Sep 14, 2011 4:31 PM EDT up reply actions

Age!

Age age age age age!

by Jay on Sep 14, 2011 4:31 PM EDT up reply actions

Hey Man, I didn’t say we should trade Chisenhall for a bag of balls here?

The way I see it is we have two players that can produce positive WAR out of the position for the next few years (obviously Chisenhall being the more likely of the two to hold this up due to age), why not consider aligning Chisenhall’s value with another position on this team, be it pitcher or fielder?

I get your argument that there is relatively a good chance that Chisenhall’s value on the market will be even greater after next season, so it would be shortsighted to sell the player prior. I’m just positing that if we could convert Chisenhall to a similar quality prospect (age included) at a different position it would help shore up areas of need that don’t have any clear answers at this point (1B, LF, SP, you pick the spot, there isn’t an in house alternative, nor a good chance they acquire a FA that makes a difference, that leaves the trade market).

by hans on Sep 15, 2011 6:46 PM EDT up reply actions

I think you’re forgetting that trading Chisenhall, even if you can definitely shore up one lacking area, immediately creates a wide hole in the system. LFs and SPs come and go compared to a 3B, and 1B isn’t completely vacant (See: Duncan, Santana). From where will the next 3B for the Tribe come?

Matt LaPorta is the bane of my existence.

by USSChoo on Sep 15, 2011 9:26 PM EDT up reply actions

This is a fair point long term. I personally don’t want the Indians to trade him, but I’m completely open to any option that will improve the team’s chances to reach the playoffs within the next two seasons.

by hans on Sep 15, 2011 9:30 PM EDT up reply actions

We’ve got exactly one guy likely to generate positive WAR in a full-time role in 2012, and that’s Chisenhall.

We’ve got exactly one guy who has even a small chance to generate positive WAR for the next six seasons, and that’s Chisenhall.

Take away Chisenhall, and our hole at third base is nearly as big as the hole we already have at first base, or any other position.

by Jay on Sep 16, 2011 12:06 AM EDT up reply actions

To be clear, I’m referring only to third base in the first two sentences.

by Jay on Sep 16, 2011 12:06 AM EDT up reply actions

Ah, right. I wondered when you turned into some Chuck-mutant.

Matt LaPorta is the bane of my existence.

by USSChoo on Sep 16, 2011 2:22 AM EDT up reply actions

Interesting article, but it’s telling that he makes a glaring error here:

According to WAR, in 2011, Carlos Lee has had as much defensive value as Troy Tulowitzki.

He’s looking only at Rfield, which compares each player’s defensive performance to an average player at that same position. Lee narrowly beats Tulo, 16 to 14 — and I think everyone would agree that those numbers are pretty volatile regardless.

The mistake, however, is that defensive value is the sum of marginal defensive skill and positional value, that is, Rfield + Rpos. Tulo is awarded 7 runs of Rpos, compared with -8 for Lee.

So WAR doesn’t say that Lee has “as much defensive value” as Tulo. The WAR score on defensive value is Tulo 21, Lee 8.

So Lee is full three wins better on defense than he has been, 2006-10 … yet WAR still maintains that even given that remarkable number, Tulo is still 1.3 wins more valuable on defense.

by Jay on Sep 14, 2011 4:39 PM EDT up reply actions

Here’s a thought, let Chisenhall play third and move Hannahan to first. It looks like Laporta will start 2012 in the minors to see if his plate discipline can be improved, and if Hannahan can catch as well as he can throw, he should do fine there. Plus, he can probably turn more double plays than anyone else in the position. Unfortunately, his offense is even more woeful for what is traditionally a position for sluggers. Still, if the Indians are trying to win on the cheap, that may be a sacrifice the team has to make.

That being said, I don’t see Hannahan as a viable trade chip, except maybe as a deal sweetener. Teams in playoff contention either want more offense or more pitching, but I cannot think of any team that went out and got more fielding to be competitive.

by Greatatlantic on Sep 13, 2011 3:39 PM EDT reply actions

If Hannahan is starting, the only reason he really shouldn’t be at third is, to agree with hans, to play shortstop. It may not really be feasible to make him a passable shortstop at this point in his career, but I think it’s well worth trying.

And only because of he was on our roster this year do I remember, but the 04 Red Sox picked up Cabrera and Mientkiewicz at the deadline.

by 7foot3 on Sep 13, 2011 7:40 PM EDT up reply actions

Must be brought back. Incredible odds that he would end up being I believe our 3rd move valuable position player but he did it.

And today will be better than yesterday.

by johnf34 on Sep 13, 2011 4:52 PM EDT reply actions

with Jhonny Peralta (the .698 OPS version) starting the year there, and Luis Valbuena, Jayson Nix, and Luis Valbuena sharing time at the position after Peralta was traded.

Luis Valbuena, so bad, he counts as 2 third base failures.

What if...

by Danieldelamaiz on Sep 13, 2011 6:54 PM EDT reply actions

fixed

by Ryan on Sep 13, 2011 7:44 PM EDT up reply actions

Aw, I liked it how it was.

Matt LaPorta is the bane of my existence.

by USSChoo on Sep 13, 2011 7:48 PM EDT up reply actions

So did I.

What if...

by Danieldelamaiz on Sep 13, 2011 7:58 PM EDT up reply actions

you mean Valbuena(!)

by APV on Sep 14, 2011 10:03 AM EDT up reply actions

I love me some Hannahan, but Im not sure where he would get playing time next year in an infield that had Chiz, Cabrera, Kipnis, and Donald on board already. Donald has played well this year and last, and I don’t think you can justify Hannahan at first at the expense of a bat. (or even a glove at catcher, in the form of Marson)

I think you’d have room for him on the 25 man, but the playing time would be severely limited w/o an injury. Sucks, because I do love having him on the team.

"Mixed emotions. Rather see him hit PEDroia [with that pitch]. I don’t care if he is in the dugout"

by Gradysmanldy on Sep 14, 2011 10:52 AM EDT reply actions