Around the Hill: Danny Hultzen
By Matthew Laux
Annually, the Washington D.C. area produces elite level athletes. By the time these athletes graduate high school, they have already earned a large quantity of awards and even national recognition. Year in and year out, these players go off to various colleges across the country and accomplish a great deal. From here on out, however, much of what these athletes accomplish seems to go unnoticed. Every Wednesday, tune in to alloverthehill.com as I spotlight local area athletes that have flourished in their respective sports. This segment will highlight how the careers of local products have progressed and what their next step will be. It is my pleasure to open the newest Around the Hill segment profiling Danny Hultzen.
With the second pick in the 2011 Major League Baseball Draft the Seattle Mariners select……Many in the area probably wouldn’t know who the Mariners choice was, but for more hardcore fans they’d know that this was non other than St. Alban’s and University of Virginia Alumni, Danny Hultzen.
Hultzen was a STUD at St. Alban’s. For those who may have forgotten, Danny struck out 140 batters over just 73 innings and went 13-0 in his senior year. Not only was he a great pitcher, but also he could hit, averaging .386 with 37 ribbies. Hultzen led St. Albans to multiple IAC titles and was subsequently named ALL- Met Player of the Year in 2008. After such a brilliant high school career, Hultzen was already on scouts’ radar and was selected by in the 10th round by the Arizona Diamondbacks.
Danny decided UVA was his calling and was one of the top pitchers in the nation throughout his years as a Cavalier. Hultzen accumulated a career record of 32-5 with an era of 2.06, outstanding numbers to say the least. He garnered many different honors while attending UVA with ACC freshman and player of the year being just two of them. A testament to his true athleticism, however, was his consistency at the plate. Danny batted in the mid .300-.400’s throughout his career and even stole 18 bases, displaying his overall skill set. The Mariners knew exactly what they were getting after drafting Hultzen second overall.
Danny has developed into one of the elite prospects in the game off baseball. He finished up the 2012 season ranked third in the entire Mariner farm system. Since then, Hultzen has been up and down in the Mariners system, highlighted by his Major League Baseball debut. Recently, however, shoulder inflammation has kept the lefty of the field, but look for Hultzen to get right back to his winning ways soon enough. Keep an eye out for one of the area’s all time great, Danny Hultzen, even all the way out in Seattle.