When Danny Hultzen was drafted number two overall in the 2011 MLB Draft, the sky was the limit for the highest draft pick to ever come out of the University of Virginia. Hultzen was in a draft that included Gerrit Cole, Trevor Bauer and Sonny Gray, but arm problems would stall his career. After 8 seasons of ups and downs, and multiple shoulder surgeries, Danny Hultzen made his MLB debut on Sunday afternoon in Milwaukee.
Danny Hultzen was an instant success at UVA as soon as he stepped on grounds. Hultzen compiled a 31-5 career record at UVA, a school record, and 378 strikeouts in his three seasons as a Wahoo, also a school record. In his freshman season, Hultzen had a 9-1 record with a 2.23 era and would help lead the Hoos to their first ever appearance in the College World Series. Hultzen also contributed at the plate his freshman year batting .327 with 37 RBI’s.
Hultzen’s senior year he posted an 11-3 record, 1.57 era, and struck out 148 batters which was a UVA record. He was named a Golden Spikes Finalist, and was also named the Most Outstanding Player in the 2011 Regional Tournament. Hultzen was drafted second overall in the 2011 MLB Draft by the Seattle Mariners. Hultzen made it to AAA in his first pro season, but pitching through nagging shoulder pain would keep him from making it to the majors that season.
Hultzen pitched through that pain in 2012, and was limited to only seven starts in 2013. Hultzen would eventually require surgery to repair a torn labrum and rotator cuff which would keep him from appearing in the 2014 season. He would return in 2015, but recurring shoulder pain would limit him to only five starts in the minors from 2015-2016. After another surgery, Hultzen would return to Charlottesville while recovering in the 2017 season.
Hultzen returned to UVA to finish his degree and while he was there, served as a volunteer assistant under Brian O’Connor and the UVA baseball team. Hultzen would not give up on his dream, and he continued to work towards making it to the majors. In March 2018, the Chicago Cubs would sign Hultzen to a minor league contract. In the 2018 season, Hultzen would start in rookie ball working towards getting back to full strength. Before being called up to the Cubs, Hultzen struck out 23 batters in 14 1/3 innings of work, and posted a 1.26 era. Hultzen finally got the call to join the Cubs on Friday.
In his first big league appearance on Sunday, Hultzen threw 21 pitches, 15 for strikes, striking out the side and giving up one hit. It was the culmination of a journey that started with such high hopes back in 2011, hit several roadblocks along the way, but for Danny Hultzen, his story is one that should be told to athletes for years to come. No matter how low things got, no matter what others thought, Danny Hultzen persevered through adversity and was rewarded with his dream of pitching in the majors finally coming true.
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