Miami Hurricanes pitcher Hugus picked 91st in MLB Draft by Mariners
Good things happen to good people.
That was University of Miami pitching coach Laz Gutierrez’s reaction to Sunday night’s news that Hurricanes right-hander Griffin Hugus was selected by the Seattle Mariners in the third round.
“I’m glad someone like ‘Griff’ gets rewarded — not just because of his talent but because of the type of person he is,” Gutierrez said. “He is ultra-athletic and an amazing athlete.”
Hugus, who has already agreed to terms with Seattle, was selected with pick No. 91, and he is one of two players with South Florida ties taken in Sunday’s first day of the 20-round draft. The other player is UCF shortstop Antonio Jimenez, who led Southwest Ranges Archbishop McCarthy to a state championship in 2021.
On Sunday, Jimenez was selected by the New York Mets in the third round, pick No. 102. He started his college career at Miami before transferring to UCF, where he made second-team All-Big 12 in 2025. Jimenez “crushes fastballs but struggles with softer stuff,” according to MLB Pipeline.
Meanwhile, Hugus — a Wellington native — struggled in his first two years at the University of Cincinnati, going 1-2 with a 6.75 ERA as a freshman and 0-3 with a 4.91 ERA as a sophomore.
At Miami this past season, Hugus gave up hitting and concentrated on pitching, earning second-team All-ACC honors. He went 6-7 with a 4.16 ERA.
Better yet, Hugus pitched two complete games in an era where those efforts are rare, and one of them was in the Hattiesburg Regional, won by Miami.
“During the season, he would get mad at us when we took him out of games early,” Gutierrez said.
In the regional, however, the Hurricanes needed Hugus to save their bullpen, and he delivered.
On MLB Network Sunday night, the analysts touched on Hugus’ 9.2 strikeouts per nine innings, his 3.4 walks and his “eye wear and ‘stache.”
Beyond that, MLB Network’s Carlos Collazo said Hugus did a good job last year of repeating his arm slot and separating his slider velocity from his curve to be able to fool more hitters.
“He is solid across the board,” Collazo said, “but nothing plus or overwhelming.”
On MLB Pipeline, Hugus’ highest grade on a 20-80 scale is a 55 for his slider. His lowest grade was a 45 for his changeup and also his control.
Hitters don’t often square up Hugus, whose fastball sits mostly in the low 90s.
Hugus said his agent called him at about pick No. 85, letting him know that Seattle wanted to pick him at 91 if he agreed to terms.
The deal was made, but Hugus kept it from the friends and family members who gathered to watch the draft with him.
“I let them enjoy the moment my name was announced, the suspense and the full experience,” Hugus said. “It was awesome, fun and surreal. Everyone was on the edge of their seats.”
Hugus said he is grateful to the Hurricanes for taking a chance on a player with a thin resume at that time.
“This is a testament to the Miami coaches who allowed me to be a workhorse,” Hugus said. “They molded me into the pitcher I knew I could be.”
THIS AND THAT
▪ Norberto Lopez, UCF’s recruiting coordinator and assistant coach, is proud of how much Jimenez improved since his freshman (2024) season at Miami, when he hit just .182 with a .613 OPS. This past season with UCF, Jimenez hit .329 with a .982 OPS.
Jimenez also improved defensively, according to Lopez.
“When he first got here, on defense, his body was positioned toward first base,” Lopez said. “He wasn’t seeing the ball well. We fixed his posture and stance so that now both his eyes are on the baseball.
“Antonio is super talented and one of the hardest workers around.”
▪ The 2025 MLB Draft was set to continue with the final 17 rounds on Monday.