Left-hander Danny Hultzen, the No. 2 pick in the 2011 amateur draft, is finally a big leaguer. Brett Taylor of Bleacher Nation was first to report Cubs were summoning Hultzen from Triple-A. The team later announced the move Saturday afternoon.
The Mariners selected Hultzen, now 29, out of Virginia with the No. 2 overall pick eight years ago. They gave him a five-year major league contract that included a $6.35 million signing bonus and $8.5 million in guaranteed money. Although Hultzen reached Triple-A in 2012, he pitched through shoulder pain and eventually needed multiple surgeries.
Here's what Hultzen told The Athletic's Sahadev Sharma back in July:
"My arm started bothering me and I didn't want to be the draft pick who got hurt," Hultzen said. "I threw through stuff that I absolutely should not have been. I changed my mechanics because it made my arm feel better, started throwing across my body because it didn't hurt. I should have said something about my arm much sooner than I did. I got to a point where I couldn't pick up a ball anymore. I don't want it to sound like I'm blaming anyone else, but it played a huge factor when I put all that pressure on myself."
Injuries limited Hultzen to seven starts in 2013, and missed the enter 2014 season following surgery. More arm trouble limited him to five starts from 2015-16, and he did not play in 2017 after being granted free agency in November 2016. Hultzen spent 2017 finishing his degree and serving as a student coach for the Virginia baseball team.
Hultzen told Sharma he resumed throwing bullpen sessions in 2018. He developed a strong relationship Terry Clark, a former minor league pitching coordinator with the Mariners and more recently a minor league pitching coach with the Cubs, which led to his opportunity with Chicago. The Cubs signed Hultzen to a minor league contract in March 2018.
Last season Hultzen threw only 8 2/3 innings, mostly in rookie ball, as he worked his way back to full strength. This year he has allowed two runs in 14 2/3 innings, all at Triple-A, while striking out 23. Sharma says Hultzen's fastball has been clocked in the mid-90s, and the great changeup he had at Virginia has returned. His breaking ball is hit or miss though.
The Cubs are 76-64 and 2 1/2 games behind the Cardinals in the NL Central. They're in the second wild-card spot and 2 1/2 games up in the Diamondbacks. Chicago is very much in the race, and they're not calling Hultzen up simply because he's a feel-good story. They believe he can help them down the stretch.
Hultzen was the No. 2 pick in 2011. Gerrit Cole went No. 1 to the Pirates and Trevor Bauer went No. 3 to the D-Backs that year. Others selected in 2011 first round include Javier Baez, Francisco Lindor, Anthony Rendon, and George Springer.
