By Brian Kopycinski
Joel Hanrahan, nicknamed “The Hammer,” was a dominant closer for the Pirates on losing teams that went nowhere. Acquired from the Washington Nationals, the two-time All-Star was once one of the top relievers in the game. Hanrahan’s brilliance has unfairly been overlooked in favor of his successors, who pitched in more meaningful innings on playoff contenders. While Jason Grilli and Mark Melancon were both excellent in their time, many have forgotten just how good a closer Joel Hanrahan truly was.
Hanrahan split his youth between Iowa and Florida and was selected by the Los Angeles Dodgers out of Norwalk (IA) High School in the second round of the 2000 MLB June Amateur Draft. He began his career as a starting pitcher and spent seven years in the minors before making his major league debut with Washington in 2007. Hanrahan joined the Nationals’ organization after becoming a free agent in 2006. He started 11 games as a rookie, appearing in 12 total games, pitching 51.0 innings with a 6.00 ERA while going 5–3.
Converted to the bullpen in 2008, Hanrahan found better results in his new role. On a Nationals team that lost 100 games, he went 6–3 with a 3.95 ERA in a career-high 84.1 innings. Hanrahan became a late-inning regular, earning nine saves while finishing 34 games. The first half of the 2009 season was a struggle, and Washington viewed him as expendable. He was traded to Pittsburgh on June 30 with outfielder Lastings Milledge for outfielder Nyjer Morgan and pitcher Sean Burnett. The change of scenery paid off, as Hanrahan was lights out for the remainder of the year, posting an elite 1.72 ERA in 31.1 innings for the Bucs.
To say that the Pirates were bad that year would be a massive understatement. Outside of a few bright spots in Hanrahan, and rookies Garrett Jones and Andrew McCutchen, the roster severely lacked depth and talent. Fan favorites Nate McLouth, Freddy Sánchez, and Jack Wilson were all traded that summer. The 2010 season would be even worse, as the Buccos lost 105 games, their worst record since the 2001 inaugural season at PNC Park. Hanrahan continued to impress out of the pen, later sharing closer duties with Evan Meek after Octavio Dotel was dealt to the Dodgers at the end of July.
During the 2010 campaign, Hanrahan went 4–1 with a 3.62 ERA, notching a career-best 100 strikeouts. He also earned six saves and finished 27 games. After another disappointing season, ownership knew it was time for a change. Manager John Russell was let go, and former Rockies skipper Clint Hurdle was brought in. Hurdle named Hanrahan his closer for 2011, a well-deserved honor. Hanrahan later credited much of his success to pitching coach Ray Searage. The 2011 season would be a career year, cementing him as one of the league’s best closers.
Hanrahan’s walkout music, “Before I Forget” by Slipknot, perfectly captured his intensity on the mound. His high-end fastball and wicked slider were constant problems for opposing hitters. Hanrahan earned his first All-Star nod, striking out Michael Young of the Texas Rangers in the ninth inning of the National League’s 5–1 victory at Chase Field. That year, Pittsburgh improved to a 72–90 record, finishing fourth in the NL Central. Hanrahan’s breakout, highlighted by a 1.83 ERA and 40 saves, was valued at 2.4 WAR per Baseball-Reference.
The 2012 season brought great optimism that ultimately ended in a car crash. With a few key additions, the roster began to resemble a real baseball team, but the hot start didn’t last. The second-half collapse was historic and deserving of its own case study. Regardless, Hanrahan remained “that guy” in the ninth inning. He made another All-Star team, striking out the only batter he faced, Billy Butler, in the Midsummer Classic held in Kansas City. While his ERA rose slightly to 2.72, he still enjoyed a strong year, racking up 36 saves.
At that point, his two-year total of 76 saves was the greatest in franchise history, a record later broken by Mark Melancon. Still, the Pirates improved considerably during this span, posting a 22-game swing between their 2010 and 2012 records. Clearly, something was working. Unfortunately for Hanrahan, he wouldn’t be part of the success to come, as he was traded to the Boston Red Sox that offseason. The six-player deal sent Hanrahan and Brock Holt to Boston in exchange for Melancon, Stolmy Pimentel, Jerry Sands, and Iván De Jesús.
Boston went from worst to first in 2013, winning the World Series, while the Pirates snapped their streak of consecutive losing seasons and defeated the Cincinnati Reds at home in the Wild Card Game. It was a season to remember in Pittsburgh, as Andrew McCutchen earned National League MVP honors and the Bucs returned to the postseason for the first time since 1992. A heartbreaking NLCS loss to the St. Louis Cardinals ended their run, but Bucco Fever had swept the city.
Bad luck struck Hanrahan that year. He opened the season as Boston’s closer but missed time early with a hamstring strain before being shut down with a damaged flexor tendon in his right elbow. He underwent Tommy John and flexor tendon surgery, ending his season and costing him a chance at October glory. Hanrahan pitched in just nine games, earning four saves with a bloated 9.82 ERA. Meanwhile, Melancon rebounded with an All-Star season in Pittsburgh.
Hanrahan became a free agent and eventually signed a one-year deal with the Detroit Tigers. He did not pitch in 2014 while rehabbing and later re-signed on a minor-league deal for 2015, though he never appeared in a game. A torn UCL discovered that spring led to his release, and fed up with the rehab process, Hanrahan officially retired in 2016. A cruel stretch of injuries ended a career filled with promise.
If he had remained healthy, who knows what Joel Hanrahan might have become? He had all the makings of an elite closer and perhaps could have ranked among the decade’s best alongside Aroldis Chapman, Craig Kimbrel, and Kenley Jansen. Hanrahan was just 31 when he pitched his final major league game. He had plenty of baseball left in him. Unfortunately, like so many great what-ifs, injuries took their toll.
He soon returned to the game as a pitching coach, beginning with the West Virginia Black Bears. Over the next few years, he climbed the ladder, eventually reaching Triple-A Indianapolis in 2021. Hanrahan modeled his coaching approach after Ray Searage and helped guide pitchers such as Blake Cederlind, Max Kranick, and James Marvel to the majors. He later joined the Nationals organization in a similar role.
Joel Hanrahan’s impact on the Pirates—as both a player and a coach—has been seriously overlooked. For a brief stretch, he was one of the best closers in baseball, period. While the trade ultimately netted Pittsburgh Mark Melancon, arguably the better long-term option, “The Hammer” was elite in his own right and deserves to be remembered. Don Kelly should consider bringing Hanrahan onto his staff. He knows exactly what it takes to be great.