The Colorado Rockies picked Sean Sullivan, who led Andover Little League to championships in 2014 and 2015, 46th overall in the Major League Baseball draft Sunday.
While MLB ranked Sullivan 123rd in this year’s draft class — primarily because of a fastball that tops out at 94 — Colorado was impressed by his college career at Wake Forest and picked him in the second round. The lefty struck out an average of 19 batters per nine innings, second-best in NCAA Division I. His 0.92 ERA was fourth best in the country, while opponents’ .175 batting average was fifth lowest.
“When you’re throwing 70-75 percent fastballs and they’re swinging right through it, that tells you something,” Rockies vice president and assistant general manager of scouting Danny Montgomery told MLB.com. “You put the [radar] gun down. He has 13, 14 guys he might’ve punched out, because something’s different.”
“It’s funny,” Sullivan said. “You see those guys going out there throwing 100 mph. Yeah, it works. But I’m out there throwing 91, 92 and it’s doing the same thing.”
Photo: Wake Forest University