Major League Baseball Draft 2011: Top Five Players - Part 2
Daniel Alexander Hultzen, a potential ace in the making, hails from the University of Virginia. The left handed pitcher has been drafted in by the Seattle Mariners at the Number two position in the Major League Baseball Draft 2011.
Hultzen, born on November 28, 1989 stands at 6ft 3in and weighs 200 lbs. His dominance at such a young age can be attributed to his consistency in the game. His fastball, topping the 95 mph mark, is something the opposition needs to be cautious of. He attributes
his aggressive approach to the likes of Cliff Lee, holding the highest regards for him. Hultzen doesn’t really advocate the viewpoint of walking hitters, rather he believes in beating the hitters. He works to the corners and can more appropriately be portrayed
as a control pitcher.
In his high school years at St. Albans, he was coached by the likes of Jason Larocque and David Baad. As a junior, he pitched in 52 innings and ended with a highly commendable ERA of 0.35 and an impressive win-loss record of 7-1. His stupendous show with
his throwing earned him a place in the First-Team All-Met as a junior.
He improved his repertoire of skills as a senior and proved his credentials as a hitter too, amassing six homers and driving 37 runs. His campaign as a senior was dominating as he went clean on the losses with 13 wins in his pitching. His ERA of 0.74 enlightens
his dominancy coupled with 140 strike-outs in 73 innings pitched. He surely is a star in the making.
Hultzen did not waste time in making his mark in his freshman year at the University of Virginia. He was named in the Atlantic Coast Conference All-Tournament team and went on to be ranked as the first in strike-outs and second in wins among the freshmen
in ACC. He led the ACC with an ERA of 2.17 and managed 107 strike-outs in the process which was the third-highest in the ACC and a freshman record at the University of Virginia. His laurels earned him the ACC Freshman of the Year Award which was a first in
Virginia’s history. The end of his freshman year saw him being named in the ACC Academic Honour Roll and All-ACC Academic Baseball Team.
His sophomore year at college took off with flying colours. He managed ten or more strike-outs in a game numerous times finishing with the highest strike-outs in the ACC at 123 and an average per nine innings of 10.38. He recorded his first career complete
game against the Dukes, ending with 13 strike-outs and disallowing any batter a walk. He forced 21 of the last 22 batters to retire.
He became the first player in UV history to receive the ACC Pitcher of the Year Award. He made it to the All-ACC team for the second year running and finished as a semi-finalist for the Golden Spikes Award. His 106.2 innings pitched reiterated his arm strength.
Hultzen has managed to sneak in the All-Time record books of the University of Virginia, ranking eighth in career strike-outs totalling 230 and sixth in career wins totalling 20.
A quick glimpse at his career depicts his true worth as an asset for the Mariners. His statistics, a slugging percentage of .426, given he hits only and sneaking 70 runs in 202 innings with 230 strike-outs with his pitching, are healthy enough to earn him
the Number two position. The Mariners would want, by all probabilities that Hultzen keeps up his shining form.
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