Hultzen Signs with Seattle Mariners

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SEATTLE, Wash. – Seattle Mariners Executive Vice President & General Manager of Baseball Operations Jack Zduriencik and Director of Amateur Scouting Tom McNamara announced late Monday night that the club has agreed to terms with left-handed pitcher Danny Hultzen, the club’s first selection (second overall pick) in the 2011 First-Year Player Draft.

Hultzen, 21, went 12-3 with a 1.37 ERA (18 ER, 118.0 IP) in 18 starts during his junior season for Virginia in 2011. The 6-foot-3, 200-pound lefty limited opponents to a .184 average, while striking out 165 batters and walking only 23 in 118.0 innings. His 1.37 ERA was the fifth-lowest in Division I, while his 165 strikeouts ranked second and were the most in a single season in Cavaliers history. Hultzen, the 2011 John Olerud Two-Way Player Award winner, also hit .309 with 18 runs scored, 14 extra-base hits and 35 RBI in 43 games.

“Danny is a hard-throwing left-hand pitcher with tremendous athletic ability,” McNamara said. “We are excited to welcome him to the Mariners organization and watch him work his way towards being part of our Major League rotation in the near future.”

Hultzen was a unanimous first-team All-American, earning the honor from the ABCA, Baseball America, Collegiate Baseball/Louisville Slugger and NCBWA. He was named the ACC Pitcher of the Year for the second year in a row, becoming the first pitcher in league history to earn that distinction twice. Hultzen also was picked First-Team All-ACC for the third year in a row. He succeeded in the classroom as well and was a Capital One First-Team Academic All-American. Hultzen was also one of three finalists for the Golden Spikes Award.

Hultzen was 32-5 with a 2.08 ERA (74 ER, 320.0 IP) in 51 games (50 starts) in his collegiate career. He holds the University of Virginia career wins record with 32 victories and also owns the Cavaliers career strikeout record with 395. He ranks in the top 10 in University of Virginia history in ERA (2.08), innings pitched (320.0), win percentage (.865) and games started (50).

In Baseball America’s annual Best Tools survey of the top 100 prospects entering the draft, Hultzen was named as the best command and closest to the Majors among college eligible players. He was also rated with the third best secondary pitch.

Career Notes on Hultzen:
* Holds UVa career wins record with 32 wins; he tied for 14th in ACC history in career victories
* Broke the Virginia career strikeout record set by Seth Greisinger (290 K from 1994-96); finished fourth in ACC history with 395
* Also ranks second in career innings at UVa (320.0), which ranks 25th in ACC history
* Concluded career with 2.08 ERA, which is second in school history and 16th in ACC history
* His .865 winning percentage ranks second in Virginia history and 14th in ACC history
* Averaged 11.11 strikeouts per nine innings, which stands 14th in the ACC annals