When it was originally announced that Danny Hultzen would miss time, the original time table was around two weeks, but according to Greg Johns of MLB.com, Hultzen will now miss at least one month of time. Hultzen won't even throw a baseball for two weeks, then will begin his rehab process, meaning that he could be out even longer if there are any setbacks.
This is obviously terrible news for the Mariners, even more so than most injuries, because Hultzen was likely in the Mariners' immediate plans for this season. The Mariners essentially have two reliable starters (Felix Hernandez and Hisashi Iwakuma) and a number of question marks making up their big league rotation. It wasn't going to be long before the M's turned to one of their stable of young arms this season, and Hultzen was the one closest to the majors.
Between this injury and Hultzen's control meltdown last season after his promotion to Triple-A, his timetable to the majors has been pushed back almost a full season. After dominating Double-A last year, Hultzen was moved up to the Pacific Coast League in late June with the thought that, assuming his success continued, he could make a late-season cameo in the majors and potentially be a rotation piece in the big leagues this season. Upon arriving in Tacoma, however, his control abandoned him and Hultzen walked almost a batter per inning over the next two months, facilitating the need for a return to Triple-A this season.
Even still, it was thought to be a few months of Triple-A to get his mechanics back in order, then a mid-season call-up to the majors for Hultzen to help usher in the beginning of a new wave of Mariners pitching talent. Now, with two weeks of no throwing followed by rehab then more time to get back on the mound in the minors, Hultzen is once again looking at a late-season call-up at best, essentially pushing his timetable back a full year from where it was thought to be a year ago.
As if the news couldn't get worse in an already disappointing Seattle Mariners season, top pitching prospect Danny Hultzen will now miss at least two weeks with what is being called a left rotator cuff strain and tendinitis, according to the Seattle Mariners Twitter feed. For the organization, it's a blow to their pitching depth, the one silver lining on a season that is already heading in the wrong direction.
The only source of optimism surrounding the Mariners these days is with their bevy of young pitching prospects, a group that includes Hultzen, Taijuan Walker, James Paxton, and others. Of the group, Hultzen was considered to be the closest to the major leagues. There is no indication yet what this setback does to his major league timetable.
The left-handed Hultzen is 3-1 with a 2.78 ERA in four Triple-A starts this season, an encouraging turn of events from his struggles there last season. After a mid-year promotion, Hultzen battled a bout of extreme wildness in Triple-A, walking almost a batter per inning en route to an ERA over five. But this season, Hultzen had returned to what was expected out of him all along, striking out over a batter per inning and walking just six batters in four starts.
The concern with this injury is with the uncertainty. Long-term, shoulder injuries tend to be worse than elbow injuries. The Mariners are calling this a strain with tendinitis, which could indicate something as simple as fatigue or an actual structural problem. If it's fatigue, then rest will do the trick. If there is something torn in his shoulder, it could mean significant time missed for Hultzen.
The Mariners big league rotation is far from solidified, and Hultzen was expected to be the first pitcher called up to join them when a spot was opened. This setback certainly puts that promotion into jeopardy, with the severity of the injury determining just how much of the 2013 season this costs him.
Zack Wheeler allowed three runs in 5 1/3 innings, but was more impressive than his stat line would indicate, according to Michael Baron of MetsBlog.com. The Mets top prospect has been effective but erratic in his first three starts, but part of that can be attributed to missing time in spring training and part can be blamed on the extreme hitting environment in Las Vegas.
Matt Barnes ran into trouble on Sunday, allowing four runs while failing to make it out of the third inning, reports The Portland Press Herald. The Red Sox first round pick from 2011 is off to a rough start in his first taste of Double-A, posting a 18.90 ERA through his first two starts.
Yordano Ventura struck out seven batters over five innings of work, writes Robert Emrich of MiLB.com. The diminutive Royals right-hander is off to another strong start, posting a 1.80 ERA over his first two starts.
Miguel Sano went 3-for-4 on a day that included a go-ahead three-run homer by the Twins top prospect, writes Jake Seiner of MiLB.com. It was the third home run of the year for the young slugger, who is hitting .400 through his first ten games.
Courtney Hawkins homered again, giving the White Sox 2012 first-rounder four on the season. It's been feast-or-famine for Hawkins in the early-going this season with the four bombs, but just a .200 batting average and 18 strikeouts to just two walks in eight games.
Angel Villalona hit his first home run in the U.S. since 2009, as part of a two-hit day to get his batting average up to .091 on the season. The Giants prospect was allowed back in the country this season for the first time in three years after a murder charge in the Dominican Republic.
Low-A
Despite great stuff, Robert Stephenson is getting roughed-up in the Midwest League. The Reds 2011 first-rounder had his worst outing of the year, allowing eight runs (six earned) without getting out of the third inning on Sunday, raising his ERA to 7.11 on the season.
Tyrell Jenkins took his first loss of the season, allowing three runs in five innings of work, walking three and striking out just one batter in the outing. It's the second straight outing for the Cardinals right-hander in which he's given up three runs in five innings.
Twins outfield prospect Oswaldo Arcia may have had the best all-around game of the night, going 2-for-4 with a double and a home run at the plate and also throwing out two runners at second base.
Diamondbacks prospect Matt Davidson did on Thursday night what Matt Davidson does best, hitting a ninth-inning two-run home run to lead Reno to a 5-4 victory, despite a home run earlier in the game from fellow hot-corner man and Rockies top prospect Nolan Arenado.
Zack Wheeler struggled in his Pacific Coast League deubt as the Mets top prospect allowed two earned runs and walking three while taking 86 pitches to get through 3 1/3 innings. He got plenty of run support from Travis d'Arnaud, who collected a pair of doubles in the game.
Danny Hultzen had no such trouble in his 2013 debut, as the Mariners lefty fanned seven batters over six innings of work. His control issues, which plagued him after his call-up to Triple-A last season, were no where to be found, as Hultzen walked just 2 batters.
Double-A
The Double-A debut of Mets pitching prospect Rafael Montero couldn't have gone much better, as the right-hander struck out eight over 5 2/3 innings of one-run baseball.
Taijuan Walker wasn't as sharp in his 2013 debut, striking out eight batters of his own over five innings of work, but also walking four and allowing four earned runs and a pair of home runs to Marlins prospects J.T. Realmuto and Derek Dietrich.
After emerging as a prospect last season, Aaron Northcraft was able to carry his success over to his first start of 2013, also striking out eight over six innings of shutout baseball.
Tigers first base prospect Aaron Westlake hit his first home run of the season as part of a 2-for-3 day at the plate. Yankees catching prospect Gary Sanchez went 2-for-4 in the victory.
The A's jumped Addison Russell all the way to the California League in his first full season but the 2012 first-rounder struck out three times in his debut. He also singled and walked.
Low-A
After posting a 6.26 ERA in the Midwest League last season, Padres pitching prospect Joe Ross got off to a much better start to the 2013 season, throwing five scoreless innings on Thursday night while striking out four.
Reds prospect Robert Stephenson was dominant at times but erratic at others en route to racking up six strikeouts over five innings, but also allowing three runs.
Byron Buxton did his job as a leadoff hitter in his full-season debut, getting two hits, scoring two runs and stealing a base for the Twins new affiliate in Cedar Rapids.
Yasiel Puig is the big name but keep an eye on Chris Withrow as a potential bullpen arm who could be in the majors by the end of the season. Watch Puig's plate discipline (not just walks, but his BB/K ratio) to see how ready he is for the majors.
Just like in the majors, it's all about offense in the Rockies Triple-A affiliate, with Nolan Arenado pushing Ryan Wheeler over to first base. Arenado was beat out in spring training by Chris Nelson, but if he returns to his 2011 form, he should force his way to the majors by mid-season, no matter what Nelson is doing.
Gary Brown could be up for a big offensive season, much like he had in the offensively similar California League in 2011. The center fielder struggled last season as Richmond and has one last chance to prove that he's an everyday player and not a fourth outfielder. Left-hander Mike Kickham leads the pitching staff after a strong season in Richmond in 2012. He skipped the Cal League on his way through the Giants system, so this will be his first test in an extreme hittter's environment.
Brett Jackson and Josh Vitters are the names everyone knows and this is their final chance in the minors to prove they should be a part of the Cubs rebuilding process. Both should be in the majors at some point this season, but both need to give the Cubs some reason to believe they can be regular players at the next level.
The new Mets affiliate are headlined by pitching phenom Zack Wheeler, who won't be in the desert for too long. He should be in the majors by June. The 51's also feature Travis d'Arnaud and Wilmer Flores, giving them the best collection of top prospects in the PCL.
Oscar Taveras will be the best player in the PCL and will only be there as long as the Cardinals still have him blocked in the majors. 2012 first-rounder Michael Wacha could be close behind him, and should be the PCL's best pitcher once Wheeler joins the Mets.
The Brewers system isn't deep, but Johnny Hellweg, who came over in last summer's Zack Greinke trade, is a flame thrower and almost made the Brewers bullpen out of spring training. He'll work as a starter in the minors.
The Zephyrs thought they were getting Jose Fernandez at some point this season, but instead will have to settle for Jacob Turner and Kyle Skipworth, which is not a close consolation prize. Christian Yelich will join them eventually, but not yet.
Jarred Cosart, Rudy Owens and Paul Clemens highlight a rotation of prospects the Astros have acquired over the past two seasons, while the lineup is led by Robbie Grossman, Marc Krauss and Jonathan Villar. None of these players were drafted by the Astros, a testament to their rebuilding process, but none are high-end prospects.
The headliner is Jurickson Profar, but he'll be flanked by Mike Olt in the lineup and Justin Grimm on the mound. Profar could also be spending the majority of his time at second base now that the Rangers have locked Elvis Andrus up long term.
Sonny Gray and Grant Green give the RIver Cats a pair of first rounders still trying to gain some traction within the A's organization. Either could move quick if they have success or they could spend the whole season in the PCL.
Jaff Decker continues to try to defy expectations, but needs to bounce back from an injury-riddled 2012 season. Brad Boxberger will stay sharp in the bullpen until he's needed in the majors.
