Josh Hansell was just 21 years old when the Kansas City Royals selected him in the 2023 Amateur Draft. The Arizona native spent his freshman season in college with the Wichita State Shockers. He then spent the final two seasons of college ball at Arizona State. In all, he pitched 55.2 NCAA innings with 49 strikeouts and 38 walks. Those results didn’t jump off the page when the Royals selected Hansell.
He debuted briefly in last year’s Arizona Complex League before spending all of the 2024 season with Low-A Columbia. Those results this season were leaps and bounds better than anything from Hansell prior. He appeared in 21 games for the Fireflies. Six were starts, coming together for 64.1 innings pitched this season. Hansell finished the year with a 2.52 ERA, 71 strikeouts, and 39 walks without allowing a home run all season. Hansell was one of just three arms in the Kansas City farm system to pitch 60 innings this season without allowing a home run.
From three-sport high school athlete to the pros, a look back at Hansell’s upbringing
The largest standout from the year? “I think the length of the season,” Hansell told me in an interview this week. “That was tough mentally.” He continued, “The routine. When you’re playing that many games, routine is everything. I learned a lot in that sense, whether I was starting or relieving. Just figuring out which routine was best for my body.” Hansell is still just 22 years old, fairly young for a college product already a full year removed from University. His 64.1 innings pitched this season was the most he’s put together in a full season by far. Hansell’s heaviest season in college was 31.1 IP in 2023.
That strength and conditioning will be huge for Hansell moving forward, but his background as a three-sport athlete should help in that regard. Hansell comes from a sports background. His father, Greg, was a professional baseball player from 1989 through 2003. He was drafted in the 10th round of the 1989 draft and spent the bulk of his career in the Dodgers organization. Despite that background, Josh was never pushed toward a baseball path. Hansell named his father’s background and time as a professional as his biggest influence as a player today. “He never really pushed me to baseball,” Josh said, however. “He pushed me to be a good student, to be a good well-rounded athlete.”
In high school, that’s exactly what Hansell became. A three-sport star for Seton Catholic Preparatory School in Chandler, Arizona, he was a three-year letterwinner and two-year starter in baseball. He also finished his high school career as a first-team all-league football player and second-team all-league basketball player.
That multi-sport prowess is something the Royals have looked for in draft prospects and Hansell fit the bill. “I definitely became more athletic,” Hansell said of playing multiple sports. “At the same time, I kept pretty low mileage on my arm. I didn’t pitch much.” He was a first baseman and pitcher in high school while playing wide receiver and defensive end as a varsity football player. Hansell’s 6-6 frame made him an excellent fit at center for basketball. “With football specifically, that helped me learn a lot of mental toughness,” Hansell continued. “Basketball helps with explosiveness.”
The Draft process and Hansell’s takeaways now a full year into his professional career
Entering the draft in 2023, Hansell didn’t entirely have the Royals on his radar. He didn’t complete a pre-draft workout with the Royals. “Since I didn’t do a pre-draft workout with the Royals, I thought that if I was going to be drafted, it would be with one of the teams that had invited me to one of the workouts,” Hansell said of the draft process. He did visit the Royals’ facility a month before the draft, and that’s likely where the Royals ended up solidifying his name as one of their late-round options. “I came, talked with some of the scouts, some of the staff, which was really cool because a month later I was in that same spot.”
Since joining the organization, takeaways centered around resources. “The biggest thing is just the amount of resources,” Hansell said of what stood out most after entering the Royals’ organization. “From the pitching side, whether it’s pitch design, the amount of analytics that they have here, from the nutrition side,” Hansell said, naming some of those resources. He also mentioned behavioral science and mental resources the team offers as well. It all comes together in a huge package with valuable resources to help minor leaguers like Hansell develop into future big leaguers.
The largest standout for Hansell after 2024 was the length of the season. Moreso, in a mental aspect. Routines are important in baseball, and that stood out in 2024. Heading into the offseason, what goals stand out most? “Add healthy velocity,” Hansell said. “I think that comes from getting some extra weight, adding healthy muscle mass.” He also plans to continue working on the shape of his pitches and overall pitch design. Hansell also plans to continue developing on the mental side of the mound.
A late-season bump in production has Hansell primed for 2025
The 2024 season for Hansell started in a relief role. By the end of the year, he was making starts and pitching in longer outings. That’s not too different from how 2023 went for the 2024 Paul Splittorff Award Winner, Steven Zobac. Across his first seven appearances this season, Hansell struck out 11 but walked nine batters in 14.0 innings of work. The next seven appearances for Hansell were a bit longer. He put together 22.1 innings of work with 22 strikeouts but still 15 walks. By the end of the season, Hansell had fully bloomed as a strikeout force over longer outings.
In those final seven appearances of the season, Hansell averaged four innings per appearance (28.0 IP) with 38 strikeouts and 15 walks. He held opponents to a .200 average en route to a 2.25 ERA in that span. Hansell’s 1.80 ERA as a starter on the season has him poised for a potential spot in the Quad Cities rotation to open next season.
The repertoire for Hansell has the potential to be extremely effective in a continued starter’s role. He throws two fastballs. The four-seamer sits 92-94 currently, but he’s looking to add to that some this offseason. He also throws a sinker in the low 90s with solid horizontal life. Perhaps the best pitch from Hansell is his low-80s curveball. It’s a 12-6 bender that generates excellent chase rates and swing-and-miss. Rounding out the mix is a changeup that sits 84-86 and a slider that lives in the 81-83mph range. That’s a full pitch mix that should carry Hansell through the minor leagues. Josh Hansell is certainly a name to monitor heading into next season and could find his way onto the team’s Top 30 prospects with a strong showing to open next season.
