Jump to content

A little twinge of disappointment about Hultzen


Recommended Posts

Hultzen, who grew up a Baltimore Orioles fan, said he has never been to Seattle, but “it’s not as rainy as everyone thinks it is.”

http://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/nationals/2011-mlb-draft-virginias-danny-hultzen-is-taken-no-2-overall-by-mariners/2011/06/06/AGFBvdKH_story.html

Talent aside, I would have loved to have a local kid who grew up rooting for the Orioles. When he was picked #2, he almost seemed disappointed, though I suppose it was more surprise that disappointment.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hopefully, if he's as talented a player as they're saying and when free agency arrives, he'll spurn the Yankees and say he always wanted to play for the Orioles. Seeing him in his Virginia uniform of black and orange looked pretty cool.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hopefully, if he's as talented a player as they're saying and when free agency arrives, he'll spurn the Yankees and say he always wanted to play for the Orioles. Seeing him in his Virginia uniform of black and orange looked pretty cool.

Or he might go to medical school and we can catch up with him in six years.

But he seems like a great kid and I do like most Oriole Fans.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 months later...

It suddenly dawned on me this weekend that I know Danny Hultzen's father. He is a neonatologist (newborn infant doctor), lives in my neighorhood, and was on duty at the hospital the day my first child was born almost 22 years ago. I've said hi to him many times, though it has certainly been a few years. It's funny, I knew Danny Hultzen's dad was a doctor and that he grew up in Bethesda, but somehow I never made the connection between the two, probably because Dr. Hultzen has never struck me as a guy who would like baseball (and maybe he doesn't).

Hultzen's agent deserves a medal for the job he did.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

It suddenly dawned on me this weekend that I know Danny Hultzen's father. He is a neonatologist (newborn infant doctor), lives in my neighorhood, and was on duty at the hospital the day my first child was born almost 22 years ago. I've said hi to him many times, though it has certainly been a few years. It's funny, I knew Danny Hultzen's dad was a doctor and that he grew up in Bethesda, but somehow I never made the connection between the two, probably because Dr. Hultzen has never struck me as a guy who would like baseball (and maybe he doesn't).

Hultzen's agent deserves a medal for the job he did.

Hultzen got a great deal -- I wonder how much of it had to do with the rumored trust fund that would release to Danny if he went to med school (I heard upwards of $15 MM).

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hultzen got a great deal -- I wonder how much of it had to do with the rumored trust fund that would release to Danny if he went to med school (I heard upwards of $15 MM).

Weren't there rumors also that his dad yelled at the team that drafted him out of HS. Saying "I told you he wasn't going to college, why did you draft him".

Stotle, how bad was of it of O'Connor to pull Hultzen after 3 innings and 40 pitches because he had the flu. But to let Kline, who is a RP go 5 innings and throw 107 pitches. Isn't that wrong or am I just not translating college and mlb workloads properly?

I assume a closer throwing 107 pitches is a lot different than a SP throwing 107 pitches. A closer is probably throwing max effort most of the time, while a SP is probably pacing himself. This isn't probably including a SP is more built up to throw that many pitches.

Isn't Kline a prospect for the next draft? Does he get dinged by clubs for that one game? Do some clubs really just take guys like that off their board?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Weren't there rumors also that his dad yelled at the team that drafted him out of HS. Saying "I told you he wasn't going to college, why did you draft him".

Stotle, how bad was of it of O'Connor to pull Hultzen after 3 innings and 40 pitches because he had the flu. But to let Kline, who is a RP go 5 innings and throw 107 pitches. Isn't that wrong or am I just not translating college and mlb workloads properly?

I assume a closer throwing 107 pitches is a lot different than a SP throwing 107 pitches. A closer is probably throwing max effort most of the time, while a SP is probably pacing himself. This isn't probably including a SP is more built up to throw that many pitches.

Isn't Kline a prospect for the next draft? Does he get dinged by clubs for that one game? Do some clubs really just take guys like that off their board?

The Hultzen's instructed teams not to draft Danny out of HS and apparently Mr. Hultzen had some words with the DBacks, yes.

I don't know the specifics regarding the decision to let Kline go that long in the CWS. I know Kline had been stretched out in the past, with the idea being (his freshman year) that he would be brought along as a starter. I don't know of anyone that would ding Kline for that one game. He threw a little with Team USA this summer and was very good. They handled him lightly.

Let's not forget Dylan Bundy did this last May (2010), totaling almost 300 pitches in three days:

In a 6-3 victory over Norman North in a May 12 state tournament contest, Dylan Bundy had a pitch count of 112. In two Saturday meetings with Jenks, his combined totals were 10 innings, 181 pitches and 20 strikeouts.

http://www.tulsaworld.com/sportsextra/highschool/article.aspx?subjectid=229&articleid=20100520_229_B1_SaidDy761561&allcom=1

If Kline looks strong in the spring, it will be a non-issue.

Here is some video I took of Kline with the USA CNT this summer:

<object width="640" height="390"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fSXWBHDQ9E8?version=3&hl=en_US"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fSXWBHDQ9E8?version=3&hl=en_US" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="640" height="390" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true"></embed></object>

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Weren't there rumors also that his dad yelled at the team that drafted him out of HS. Saying "I told you he wasn't going to college, why did you draft him".

Do you mean they told him he was going to college?

In any event, why would his Dad yell at a team for drafting him? If he doesn't want to sign, just don't sign. What am I missing here?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Do you mean they told him he was going to college?

In any event, why would his Dad yell at a team for drafting him? If he doesn't want to sign, just don't sign. What am I missing here?

His dad didn't want the temptation for him to sign, rumor was they threatened to cut him off if he didn't go to college.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Do you mean they told him he was going to college?

In any event, why would his Dad yell at a team for drafting him? If he doesn't want to sign, just don't sign. What am I missing here?

I did not hear that the family was going to cut him off if he didn't go to college, but Mr. Hultzen was firm with Area Scouts, and Scouting Directors, that Danny was not interested in playing professional baseball until after he went to college. He also requested that no one draft Danny, because "he was going to school."

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I did not hear that the family was going to cut him off if he didn't go to college, but Mr. Hultzen was firm with Area Scouts, and Scouting Directors, that Danny was not interested in playing professional baseball until after he went to college. He also requested that no one draft Danny, because "he was going to school."

Fair enough, I guess, as long as he was cool about it. I certainly have no issue with him being upfront, but I would think he would have had to know that some team would have taken a flyer.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Fair enough, I guess, as long as he was cool about it. I certainly have no issue with him being upfront, but I would think he would have had to know that some team would have taken a flyer.

I was not involved in the conversations, but have heard that Mr. Hultzen's response to his son being drafted out of HS was....a little over the top. In any event, Seattle got their advanced arm. He should be a nice #3 behind Felix and Pineda in fairly short order.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Not getting Hultzen was a huge disappointment. I wanted him from the very beginning. I love how polished he is, and I love his miniscule walk totals. It will not be long before he's in the bigs. Hopefully, the O's will be able to nab him as a FA in a few years.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Not getting Hultzen was a huge disappointment. I wanted him from the very beginning. I love how polished he is, and I love his miniscule walk totals. It will not be long before he's in the bigs. Hopefully, the O's will be able to nab him as a FA in a few years.

Well, Bundy walked 5 batters all year while striking out 158. He may take longer to reach the majors, but I think we'll be happy with that selection, barring injury.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.



×
×
  • Create New...