Chicago Cubs: Former top prospect Danny Hultzen looks to make comeback

The Chicago Cubs have completed another low-risk, potentially high-reward move.

Last Saturday, the Chicago Cubs signed pitcher Danny Hultzen to a minor league deal, per a report from Bob Nightengale of USA TODAY Sports.

Hultzen is a former first round pick who just didn’t pan out. The Seattle Mariners selected him with the second overall pick back in 2011. The left-hander was a star pitcher for the Virginia Cavaliers at the collegiate level.

It’s not hard to see why Hultzen was a first-rounder. Over the course of three seasons with Virginia, he went 32-5 with a 2.08 ERA, 0.98 WHIP and an impressive 11.11 strikeouts per nine innings pitched.

That’s the kind of potential he has. But if the 28-year-old wants to embark on a successful comeback journey, he’ll need to stay healthy. That’s been his biggest challenge throughout an injury-riddled minor league career.

It’s not at all uncommon to see first-round picks fizzle out before reaching the big leagues. But in Hultzen’s case, it’s not from a lack of success at the minor league level. He just hasn’t proven he can keep a clean bill of health.

After signing an $8.5 million major league contract with the M’s in 2011, he excelled for Seattle’s Double-A and Triple-A teams. But then came the first injury. Hultzen was forced to miss most of the 2013 season due to shoulder issues. Then, in 2014, he needed surgery after tearing his labrum and rotator cuff in his shoulder, missing another full season.

Hultzen then required a second surgery in 2016, ultimately ending his major league career. That is, until the Cubs came calling. The 28-year-old lefty will get a chance to prove he still belongs in the majors.

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Theo Epstein is keen on making these types of low-risk moves. If it doesn’t work out, the Cubs are seemingly unaffected. But there’s always that chance for a payoff, even if it’s slight. It will be interesting to see if this former top prospect can finally make his major league debut on North Side.