Dodgers high on Hanrahan

VERO BEACH, Fla. -- Want to make a Dodgers minor league pitching coach smile? Tell him you want to talk about right-hander Joel Hanrahan.

Hanrahan, a second-round pick in the 2000 First-Year Player Draft, threw batting practice Wednesday for the first time this spring. Envisioning a long, bright future for Hanrahan and with no expectations of seeing him on the big league roster on Opening Day, the Dodgers are easing him into camp. Hanrahan experienced some tendinitis in his throwing shoulder after pitching a career-high 158 1/3 innings for Double-A Jacksonville and Triple-A Las Vegas in 2003.

"My arm felt good," said the 6-foot-3, 215-pounder. "My mechanics were a bit off, but it's just my first time throwing so that's normal. I felt good and got good feedback from the hitters. I just need a little more fine tuning."

Rated the fifth-best prospect in the Dodgers organization by Baseball America, Hanrahan was named the Southern League Pitcher of the Year in 2003 after posting a 10-4 record with a 2.43 ERA for the Suns. He was also named to the Double-A All-Star team.

"I like to be aggressive, go after hitters and make them hit my pitch," he said. "I like to pitch inside. I'm not afraid if I hit somebody.

"I'll go back to the slider when things are getting away from me. I set it up with my fastball. I throw a four-seamer 88-92 mph, sometimes up to 94."

Hanrahan credits his breaking ball for his climb through the Dodgers system. He picked it up in high school from his brother, Mark, who played baseball at Iowa State.

"His slider can be devastating," said Marty Reed, Hanrahan's pitching coach at Jacksonville in 2003.

"He's a big kid, durable. He wants the ball and I love sending him to the hill. He gives you solid outings every time."

Hanrahan made a big splash in 2002, when he joined Sid Fernandez (1982) as the only other pitcher in Vero Beach history to throw two no-hitters in one season.

"That was the start of everything," said Hanrahan.

The Dodgers' 2002 minor league strikeout leader (149) no-hit Jupiter in a six-inning, rain-shortened contest April 21, fanning six and walking two. On the Fourth of July, Hanrahan provided the fireworks with a full nine-inning no-hitter over Brevard County.

"He was in command," remembers Vero Beach pitching coach Ken Howell with a grin. "Controlling the inner- and outer-thirds of the plate. ... He established a rhythm. You have to get to him by the second inning or he'll put you away."

His success at Vero Beach in 2002 earned him a promotion to Jacksonville where he was 1-1 in three starts with a 10.64 ERA. Hanrahan was not discouraged and turned the experience into a positive.

"I got sent up [to Double-A] in the last month of 2000 and got hit around a bit," he recalled. "I wasn't throwing a lot of strikes. It helped me though, helped me with my offseason workouts. I could adjust and work on throwing all my pitches for strikes.

"Everything clicked last year."

Hanrahan began last season at Jacksonville and, once again, an outstanding season-long performance earned him a late callup. But the innings took their toll and his numbers (1-2, 10.08) in Las Vegas were not indicative of his talent.

"It was a little bit fatigue," he said. "I was trying to hit every corner ... some corners that were not there. I walked two or three batters and [Las Vegas pitching coach Shawn] Barton told me to throw it down the middle. Then I cruised through three innings."

Without seeing his outings in Las Vegas, Howell knew why Hanrahan went from 130 K's and 53 walks in Jacksonville to 13 K's and 20 walks at Triple-A.

"He's got to stay on top. When his arm slot is right, everything is good. When he stays on top of his slider that is a tough breaking ball to hit. It complements his fastball.

"If he went [to Las Vegas] while he was in his midseason, peaking ... you would've seen a different Joel. He's on a quick, positive path to the Major Leagues."

Hanrahan is now working in camp with minor league instructors Rick Honeycutt and Roger McDowell and big league pitching coach Jim Colborn. Colborn is helping him line up straight towards home plate, tilt his shoulders and keep his heel down.

"I'm anxious to get going and see the final results," Hanrahan said.

Others are already impressed with what they have seen.

"I have twin 13-year-olds," said Reed. "If they turn out like him, I'll be a very happy guy."

Jared Ravich is an editorial producer for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.