We had the pleasure of getting to know Danny Hultzen when he was a teammate of Midlo Son back in the day, as they were 15u-16u travel teammates.
Danny passed up big pro offers out of St. Albans to continue on to UVA. There, he put up some of the best (if not THE best) numbers in UVA history. In 2011, he was the # 2 overall pick in the MLB draft, by the Mariners. He rocketed through the minors. Talk was that he would start 2013 at AAA but just to get a few starts under his belt, then he'd be in the rotation at age 22.
Then, disaster. Danny tore his shoulder labrum. (Same injury that derailed Midlo Son's aspirations.) Honestly, I never thought he'd pitch again, not at a pro level.
But he persevered. And persevered. And retired, then came back. And now, after reinventing himself as a short reliever with the Cubs AAA team, HE MADE HIS MLB DEBUT YESTERDAY!!!
I didn't know this was coming, but I watch MLB Network's highlight show every day before work, and when his inning was shown, I woke up fast!
Well, he hit the first batter, then yielded a single. Who could blame him if he had some nerves? But then, he struck out three straight Brewers hitters.
He's in the books now! Nearing his 30th birthday, he has an official 0.00 ERA.
Wow, I hope this continues. It's truly a great story. We're not in touch with Danny any more, but he deserves everyone's congratulations.
https://virginiasports.com/new...lled-up-by-cubs.aspx
