The Chicago Cubs might not be the team that has to find the diamond in the rough in order to win anymore. That doesn't mean the team isn't hoping they can find some great talent from places where they least expect it. Joe Maddon's team is already bringing in one outfielder into camp that isn't going to be on the 25 man roster unless he has himself a great spring. Now they are also looking to give a former second overall pick in the 2011 draft in hopes that he can stay healthy and live up to his big-time potential.

Chicago Cubs farmhand was once the top pitching prospect in baseball

Teams all over baseball are spending the first part of Spring Training giving looks to players who are working hard to keep their careers going. The Chicago Cubs are no different in this regard. The franchise has signed former Seattle Mariners' prospect Danny Hultzen. Hultzen hasn't pitched anywhere since 2016 as he's been attempting to rehab his arm from its second surgery. That second surgery is about the time when the now 28-year-old pitcher was given up on by the team that drafted him.

There was a time when Hultzen was considered a can't miss prospect. Most pitchers who are taken second in the draft usually are. He even made it to Spring Training for the M's back in 2016.

He spent all of last year having to work on making it back to pitching at all. The Mariners decided they had waited long enough to see if he could either stay healthy or bring what they thought he could bring in the first place.

There was certainly a time when he looked exactly like a top prospect. He signed out of the University of Virginia for a nice hefty sum and a contract that included being added to the 40-man roster right off the bat.

In 2013, he was off to a solid start for Seattle's AAA team, Tacoma.

He posted a 4-1 record with a scant 2.05 ERA and had 34 strikesouts in 30 innings. Unfortunately he also underwent surgery to repair damage in his rotator cuff, shoulder capsule and labrum. In 2016 he had to have another surgery. Now the very real question is whether or not his arm can stand up to the stress of pitching.

Cubs hoping the answer is yes

Chicago isn't having to put much on the line in hopes that Hultzen could be good once again. The club has signed him to a minor league contract and will have him pitching in its minor league camp. If Hultzen can do what he has long been expected to do, the Chicago Cubs have a diamond in the rough prospect. If he can't, they're not out much of anything at all.
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