Sean O'Sullivan pleased about opportunity with San Diego Padres - MLB News
Sean O'Sullivan is no stranger to the Major League or the San Diego area. He has played in the Majors for three seasons and was born and raised in El Cajon, which is just east of San Diego downtown.
The pitcher has been a Padres’ fan forever and is glad that he has finally got a chance to be associated with the team that he loves so much.
"I was a Padres fan as soon as I knew what baseball was," said O'Sullivan,
The pitcher has a 10-14 win-loss record in the Majors and has a high 6.13 ERA. He has so far represented the Los Angeles Angels and Kansas City Royals. Sean’s best season thus far has been 2009 when he posted a 4-2 winning record in 12 games and 10 starts.
The 25-year-old says that being a free agent, he was ready to take the opportunity to play for the San Diego ballclub with both hands.
"When I came into the offseason as a free agent, I knew if this opportunity presented itself, I was going to take it," said O'Sullivan.
For the moment, there are ten different candidates trying to grab opening rotation spots and Sean will most certainly not find it easy as there is plenty of competition.
The pitcher has gotten thumbs up from the long time Padres’ manager Bud Black who has taken a liking to the shape and performance he has shown at Petco Park. Bud also liked the determination he saw in the eyes of Sean.
“The thing that stood out for me when I saw him this winter at Petco [was that] he looks in great shape," said manager Bud Black.
The pitcher himself believes that he has to make sure that he does well without experimenting a great deal as that generally does not work well for him. Sean believes that by attacking hard, he can achieve better results.
"My biggest thing is attacking the zone early," said O'Sullivan. "It's when I try to get too cute with my pitches that I start to go off the rails. When I attack the zone with ferocity, that's when I'm at my best."
The Padres did well after the All-Star break last year, posting a .570 winning percentage in the last 86 games. It is important that they take the momentum into the 2013 season and perform consistently to achieve better results.
Sean O’Sullivan has the goods but he needs to make sure that he delivers at the big stage. He has so far failed to live up to his promise as a starting pitcher and it is a good chance for him to show everyone that he has what it takes to be amongst the top
guys. For now, he has to do well to get a spot in the opening rotation for the Padres.
Tags: