The Seattle Mariners agreed to terms with left-handed pitcher Danny Hultzen, the club’s first selection (second overall pick) in the 2011 First-Year Player Draft.
Hultzen, 21, went 12-3 with a 1.37 ERA (18 ER, 118.0 IP) in 18 starts during his junior season for the University of Virginia in 2011. The 6-foot-3, 200-pound lefty limited opponents to a .184 average (76×412), while striking out 165 batters and walking only 23 in 118.0 innings. His 1.37 ERA was the fifth-lowest in Division I, while his 165 strikeouts ranked second and were the most in a single season in Cavaliers history. Hultzen, the 2011 John Olerud Two-Way Player Award winner, also hit .309 (42×136) with 18 runs scored, 14 extra-base hits and 35 RBI in 43 games.
“Danny is a hard-throwing left-hand pitcher with tremendous athletic ability,” Mariners Director of Scouting Tom McNamara said. “We are excited to welcome him to the Mariners organization and watch him work his way towards being part of our Major League rotation in the near future.”
Hultzen was a unanimous first-team All-American, earning the honor from the ABCA, Baseball America, Collegiate Baseball/Louisville Slugger and NCBWA. He was named the ACC Pitcher of the Year for the second year in a row, becoming the first pitcher in league history to earn that distinction twice. Hultzen also was picked First-Team All-ACC for the third year in a row. He succeeded in the classroom as well and was a Capital One First-Team Academic All-American. Hultzen was also one of three finalists for the Golden Spikes Award.
Hultzen was 32-5 with a 2.08 ERA (74 ER, 320.0 IP) in 51 games, 50 starts in his collegiate career. He holds the University of Virginia career wins record with 32 victories and also owns the Cavaliers career strikeout record with 395. He ranks in the top 10 in University of Virginia history in ERA (2.08), innings pitched (320.0), win percentage (.865) and games started (50).
In Baseball America’s annual Best Tools survey of the top 100 prospects entering the draft, Hultzen was named as the best command and closest to the Majors among college eligible players. He was also rated with the third best secondary pitch.
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Chris Graham
