Hey RD it sounds like you've seen all these guys pitch a bunch of times. With Hultzen, it seems like he's able to get a good amount strikeouts with his arsenal of pitches. You mentioned he had really good command, also. His UVA bio has him at 6'3" and 200 lbs - http://www.virginiasports.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=17800&ATCLID=3634293. So he's not a monster like Sabathia, but he's not tiny, either.
I don't know one way or the other and I know I'm not an expert on this stuff, but a lefty who throws in the low nineties with outstanding command who strikes lots of people out while not giving up lots of hits sounds like a really good pitcher to me. The fact that he's a good hitter and is from Bethesda, MD (also in the UVA bio) are just bonuses to me. If he keeps up his performance, I'd be pretty excited about him if we took him at 6.
Im trying to be clear that Im not knocking him. I didnt mean to imply he was small. All I meant was, he's not 6'6 225 that with some tinkering, you might find some more velo. Or that he's 6'6 200 and with some added weight he could add a bit more. He's got solid size - Im just making the point that there really isn't anything that is truly top notch with him. Not size, not heat, not a devastating off speed pitch ... He's very solid across the board. Im not trying to say the kid won't cut it.
I just don't think he's a front line starter in the bigs. With a few guys that do project as 1's or 2's, I think that's the direction we need to go. We've got a slew of guys that project as middle/back end of the rotation, but are lacking in front line guys. So I think we need to use six on a front line starter, not a quality middle rotation guy. Thats my only issue here. Hultzen is a very good player. If we were picking at 12, 13 he could be a good pick. I just think 6 is a reach in this draft.
