On the Farm: Hansen bounces back

Don’t look now, but the “closer of the future” may be close to becoming a “setup man of the future”.

Craig Hansen is finally looking comfortable in a Sox uniform … in Pawtucket.

With Jonathan Papelbon inked in to the closer role for the Red Sox for years to come, closer prospects past like Craig Hansen suddenly find themselves searching for new roles. In Hansen’s case, he may finally be nearing the trajectory the Sox brass - Theo Epstein chief among them - set for him when he was drafted out of St. John’s two years ago.

After bottoming out in a horrendous Pawtucket loss earlier this year - a monumental 9th inning collapse that cast doubt on whether Hansen and fellow pen prospect Manny Delcarmen would ever pan out to their potential - both players started a slow build back to the top. Obviously, Delcarmen’s progress was supersonic, and he’s now such an integral part of the Sox pen that he held up a deal for Jermaine Dye at the deadline.

Hansen, on the other hand, took a little bit longer. But his rebound seems to be just as successful.

As of an appearance Wednesday against Buffalo, Hansen had allowed just three runs in a month worth of appearances. Over his last seven appearances, for instance, he has a 0.68 ERA, a far cry from the 4.30 that now serves as his season mark.

So, what’s been the difference for the big righty who grew up a Yankees fan, then set his NY hat on fire with friends after being drafted by the Sox? It starts with not getting behind in counts as much. It’s clear that Hansen has struggled with his confidence early in his professional career, but his stuff is so nasty - fastballs that top out in the high 90’s and are consistently mid-90s, combined with a true out pitch in a high 80’s slider - that when he gets a first pitch strike he can be almost impossible to hit.

He’s a former All-American and the Big East Pitcher of the Year, and he was so touted in his draft that he drew comparisons to Minnesota closer Joe Nathan. Then, last summer he was part of a Sox pen meltdown of epic proportions, eventually earning a second demotion back down to Pawtucket. The epicenter came in a Friday night loss to the Yankees that kicked off the five-game massacre sweep that essentially ended the AL East race.

So, the question has to be whether the dominant Hansen of the past month is the real deal. If he is, the Sox may have captured lightning in a bottle … finally. It’s clear he’s not getting a call-up in the immediate future, but if he keeps mowing down batters in Rhode Island for the rest of the year, it may be hard not to consider him when mapping out the Sox pen in ‘08.

That would be quite a comeback story in itself. One that Hansen didn’t help give up.

Clay Buchholz is still looking for a first AAA win, but he’s hit his stride.

HIT AND RUN

- A big step forward this week for Clay Buchholz in Pawtucket, who struck out nine across six innings in a start. He allowed five hits, but his 137 K’s are among the best in the minors. Everything keeps pointing to a late-August or September call-up and a role in the pen like Papelbon’s first big league job.

- Just when you were ready to give up on catching prospect George Kottaras, the former Canadian fast-pitch softball prospect Boston netted for David Wells last year, he turns around and hits .382 in a 15 game stretch in Pawtucket. The man with the mask is getting harder and harder to project, which is a good thing after his sluggish start.

- Don’t fret over Jacoby Ellsbury’s minor groin tweak. He’s expected back in action this weekend.

- Brandon Moss, who was a AAA All-Star, is slumping at the plate and watching his power number’s plummet. The outfield prospect, who was rated higher than the recently traded David Murphy, has just one homer in 184 at bats.

- Michael Bowden may have come up in trade talks, but the Portland hurler wasn’t going anywhere. He’s 3-0 in his last four starts, and has 14 strikeouts in 10 2/3 innings.

- Amalie Benjamin’s minor league notebook is a terrific feature on the trials and travails of last year’s top Sox pick, Daniel Bard, who is truly toiling in the low minors. Get enough t’s in that last sentence?

– Cameron Smith