OF Alex Hassan made his debut today with the Boston Red Sox.   He started in right field, singled and drew a walk in the Red Sox 4-0 win over Tampa Bay. 

The 2007 Pittsfield Duke and Boston, MA native becomes the 102nd NECBL graduate to reach the Majors.  Hassan is the third NECBL graduate to make his Major League debut this year, and he becomes the 40th New England League product to play in the Big Leagues in 2014.

Hassan was hitting .218 at Triple-A Pawtucket at the time of his promotion.  Last season, Hassan hit .321 and had an on base percentage of .431 at Pawtucket.  Hassan has a career .393 on base percentage in the Minors.  He was an MiLB.com Organizational All-Star in both 2010 and 2013.

A dual threat for the 2007 Pittsfield Dukes (now Mystic Schooners), Hassan hit .303 and had an on base percentage of .408.  He ranked second in the NECBL in bases on balls and stole 18 bags in 19 attempts.  As a closer for the Duke Blue Devils, Hassan left college with 13 career saves.

Ironically, one of the few NECBL products who matched Hassan’s proclivity for drawing walks that summer was Manchester Silkworm (now Laconia Muskrat) catcher Ryan Lavarnway; Lavarnway led the New England League in free passes in 2007.  Hassan got recalled to Boston when Lavarnway was placed on the 15-day disabled list.

The NECBL will start its 21st season on Thursday, June 5th.  The NECBL congratulates Alex on this tremendous achievement.