Danny Hultzen, LHP, Seattle Mariners, no major league experience
Hultzen was drafted by the Diamondbacks out of high school in 2008 in the 10th round, but chose instead to go to college, and it worked well for him as he came out of the University of Virginia as the #2 overall pick for the Mariners in 2011.
Hultzen threw 6 times in the Arizona Fall League in his draft season, and he impressed, with a 1.40 ERA, 1.09 WHIP, and a 5/18 BB/K over 19 1/3 innings. The pre-draft pedigree and his AFL performance led to him being ranked the #21 prospect by Baseball America, #16 prospect by MLB Pipeline, and #35 prospect by Baseball Prospectus.
In 2012, he came out of the gate throwing elite at AA, with a 1.19 ERA and 79 K’s in 75 1/3 innings before being promoted to AAA, and the PCL ate him alive to the tune of a 5.92 ERA, though he still was able to strike out plenty of hitters, leading to an overall season line of 124 innings, a 3.05 ERA, 1.31 WHIP, and a 75/136 BB/K ratio.
2013 was the beginning of the end for Hultzen. He opened the season in AAA, throwing very well. Then he began having shoulder issues.
With pitchers, elbow issues are not guaranteed returns for pitchers, but they are typically more predictable than shoulder injuries, which are much more difficult to have a return back to previous form for the pitcher.
Hultzen left the mound in 2013, and he didn’t return at all until 2015. He made another appearance in 2016 with the rookie league team of the Mariners, attempting to come back. He was granted free agency after the season and is currently a free agent.