Sean Sullivan
Sean Sullivan
Position: RHP
Height: 6’1”
Weight: 180 lbs
Bats/Throws: R/R
Born: 10/02/2000
College: University of California - Berkeley
How Acquired: Draft 8th round, 223rd Overall, 2021
Bonus: $175,000
40-man Roster: No
Rule 5 Eligible: 2024
Minor League Free Agency: 2027
Options Left: 3
Overview
Sullivan started for three years at California. As a junior, he had a 3.68 ERA, with 22 walks and 75 strikeouts. He throws the standard four pitches. His slider is the best, with the others about average. He throws in the low-90s and can get up to 95. All of his pitches play up due to good command. Sullivan profiles as a back-of-the-rotation starter. Baseball America ranked Sullivan 138th among draft prospects, MLB Pipeline 212th. He signed for a little under the slot value of $192,900.
2021-22
Like a number of the pitchers the Pirates have drafted under their current front office, Sullivan didn’t pitch in his draft year. In 2022, the Pirates sent Sullivan to Greensboro, where he mostly pitched as a starter. He had good walk and K rates, 3.2 BB/9 and 10.1 K/9, but got hit hard some of the time. Opponents had a .469 slugging average against him, including 16 gopher balls, or better than one every five innings. Of those, 11 came at home, so the Greensboro ballpark didn’t help, but Sullivan was only a little more effective on the road than at home.
2023-24
Sullivan spent the 2023 season in the Altoona rotation and had a solid year, with a 3.88 ERA and 1.27 WHIP. He didn’t miss a lot of bats, but his control was good. He pitched very well in the season’s first two and last two months, but had a 7.12 ERA in June and July. He had a reverse platoon split.
In 2024, Sullivan returned to the Altoona rotation. He pitched very well through May 22, with a 2.66 ERA. Over the next month, he had a 5.34 ERA and then went on the injured list for the rest of the season. Whether the injury contributed to those struggles isn’t known. Sullivan finished with a 3.84 ERA in AA and a 1.27 WHIP. He didn’t walk many but also had a low K/9 of 7.1.
Stats
Transactions
July 12, 2021: Drafted by the Pittsburgh Pirates in the 8th round, 223rd overall pick; signed on July 16.