Juan

Hillman

Hillman was a second-round pick of the Guardians back in 2015, but wound up having his once-promising career derailed by injuries. He’s still just 27 years old and represents a worthwhile low-risk lottery ticket for the Rockies after he looked sharp in a pair of outings for the Cleburne Railroaders of the independent American Association.

Hillman signed a minor league contract with the Nationals back in January as a reclamation project after missing all of last year recovering from Tommy John surgery. The 26-year-old lefty was a second-round pick by Cleveland back in 2015 and has yet to reach the majors. He didn’t end up pitching this season in the Nationals’ organization.

The 25-year-old southpaw was originally a second-round pick by the Guardians during the 2015 draft. Hillman missed the entire 2022 season while recovering from Tommy John surgery but is now fully healthy and ready to contribute. Prior to his injury, he had reached the Triple-A level and that’s likely where he’ll start the 2023 campaign for the Nats.

Hillman didn’t allow a run, walked two and struck out eight. A second-round pick in 2015, Hillman hasn’t had the same level of success as some of the other picks Cleveland made that year, but there’s still reason for optimism. Both the fastball and change are above-average, and the curveball has made some progress. The command still has a ways to go, and he needs to do a better job of keeping the ball in the park (13 homers allowed already). He doesn’t have elite upside, but he definitely has a chance to be a starter at the next level.

Hillman doesn’t come with the upside of the Indians’ first two picks (LHP Brady Aiken and RHP Tristan McKenzie), but there’s certainly a lot to like in the 6-foot-2, 180-pound left-hander. The 18-year-old is a good athlete with a clean delivery, and he has a projectabale arsenal that includes an above-average fastball (89-92 mph) and curveball as well as an average changeup. The Central Florida commit pitched to a 0.65 ERA with 82 strikeouts against 18 walks in 65 innings this spring for Olympia HS (Fla.).