Jerry Sullivan Primed to Move Quickly

Fort Wayne righthander Jerry Sullivan, a 3rd round pick out of Oral Roberts, has strung together two straight impressive starts to open the season.

Sullivan, 22, has a 4.09 ERA, which may not seem like much, but it’s two other numbers that really jump off the page.

Sullivan has 16 strikeouts and one walk in 11 innings.

His ERA, in fact, is bloated by a grand slam he allowed to 24-year-old veteran Chris Richburg in the seventh inning of yesterday’s game; he’d thrown 11 innings and allowed just one run on the season going into the seventh.

Sullivan is a power pitcher who can run his fastball from 90-96 mph. He has a good, fading changeup and a solid breaking ball as well.

As a 22-year-old 2009 college draftee, Sullivan needs to move quickly to stay at an age-appropriate level, but he’s certainly dominating early this season. He may be nearly ready for Lake Elsinore.

Don’t be surprised if Sullivan gets promoted quickly. He could be a solid middle-of-the-rotation starter in the long term, or he could be an impact relief pitcher.

So far, so good for this 3rd round pick.