Have you heard of Danny Hultzen? Maybe not, but I guarantee everyone will be talking about him before the 2014 fantasy baseball draft, because he’ll be a stud by then.
But will he get a call up before then and have any real fantasy value in 2012?
Hultzen was the second overall selection in the 2011 MLB draft, one spot after PIttsburgh’s Gerrit Cole and one spot in front of Trevor Bauer. Good company, to be sure.
The southpaw doesn’t have killer stuff that has the scout’s tongues wagging, but his stuff is already major league ready, being that he was drafted out of the University of Virginia (1.37 ERA and 165 strikeouts in 118 innings his junior year). He’s got a wicked slider, an above average changeup, and locates his low 90′s fastball well. He just needs an opportunity to prove it against major league hitters. A more comprehensive scouting report is here and here.
I say get him in The Show already. He could quickly become the best pitcher in Seattle after King Felix and Jason Vargas. If and when that happens, Hultzen is worth a speculative add in 10 or 12-team mixed fantasy baseball leagues. Spot start him against weaker opponents only to begin with, then be pleased as he turns into a solid fantasy contributor.
But that’s not all! Below are two more pitching prospects that prove the Mariners might have a string of winning seasons ahead. I’ll give you two sentences for each.
James Paxton. Another lefty strikeout machine, Paxton had a bit of a downturn this season as his walks have spiked. Still, look for him in the least to get a cup of coffee this season and for Dixon to consider him when he shares his picks. He’s Canadian.
Taijuan Walker. File this name away in your memory banks, mainly because it’s an awesome name, but also because he’ll be a star some day. He’s still a youngster so we won’t see him on fantasy baseball rosters until probably 2014, but scouts have compared him to Doc Gooden because of his killer curveball.
