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Calling it a milestone might be a touch overly ambitious, as Danny Hultzen of the Seattle Mariners has been playing baseball since he wrote his first mad minute pop quiz in elementary math class years ago. But the southpaw has been missing in action for quite some time now, so a bullpen session is definitely a step in the right direction.
Hultzen was the second overall selection by the Mariners in the 2011 MLB amateur draft. As a sophomore at the University of Virginia, he led the Cavaliers’ rotation with an 11-1 record over 16 starts, posting a 2.78 ERA. That same year, he was named First-Team All-ACC for a second time and ACC Pitcher of the Year.
As a Junior in 2011, he utterly dominated some of the best hitters the ACC had to offer. Hultzen shaved his season ERA down to gaunt 1.37 through 18 starts. He held batters to a collective .184 BAA and boasted a 12.6 K/9. He was named the recipient of the John Olerud Award, distinguishing the best two-way player in all of college baseball.
Hultzen picked up where he left off in the minors playing Arizona Fall League ball, posting a 1.40 ERA in 19.1 IP. His overall ERA of 2.66 in 179 combined minor league innings landed him as high as the No. 18 overall prospect by MLB.com entering the 2013 season. He lasted six starts in Triple-A with the Tacoma Rainiers, looking like a lock to be late summer call-up. But it never happened, as he injured his shoulder and had surgery to repair a torn labrum and rotator cuff. Hultzen did not pitch in 2014.
It remains to be seen how Hultzen will progress as a now 25 year old within the M’s organization in 2015 and beyond. His velocity is probably down some and with that, so too are his confidence levels. But Hultzen was all smiles being able to throw off a mound on Sunday.
If the native of Maryland can regain his 2013 preinjury form in the near future, the M’s will be eyeing Hultzen to take future free agent Hisashi Iwakuma‘s spot in the rotation some time in 2016.
Jordan Wevers is an MLB Featured Writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @JordanWevers, “Like” him on Facebook, or add him to your network on Google.
