Former Virginia phenom now Seattle Mariner Danny Hultzen had his professional debut recently, with the Peoria Javelinas in the Arizona Fall League. Following the game, MLB.com interviewed the No. 2 overall draft pick (still sounds good, right?) on how he felt, what his pitching style is, and whether he misses hitting.
You already know all of his stats and awards, so I don't need to post them here. But they're fun to list, so here we go. In 2009 he was Virginia's first ever ACC Freshman of the Year, and he followed this up in 2010 by becoming Virginia's first ever ACC Pitcher of the Year.
In 2011, he led the conference in strikeouts (165) and was second in the nation in the same category. He was a unanimous first team All-American, and on top of that, was a finalist for both the Golden Spikes Award and the Dick Howser Trophy. He pitched 9.1 scoreless innings through two games in the 2011 College World Series. Oh, and don't forget he won the the John Olerud Two-Way Player Award.
Speaking of being a two-way player, Hultzen says in the interview that he definitely misses hitting. Having both pitched and hit all his life, he says, "it's a little weird to be watching more games than I play in." He's still waiting for the conversation to talk about possible hitting opportunities, but says that there's plenty of other things to do right now.
Hat tip to the Foundation's Alex Inman and Professor J. Taylor Beard for the video.