Brad Sullivan

Bradley Keith Sullivan

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 6' 0", Weight 195 lb.
• School University of Houston
• High School Nederland High School

• Born September 12, 1981 in Beaumont, TX USA

BR minors page

Biographical Information

Brad Sullivan was a top-flight star in college, but never rose above A ball.

Sullivan was 6-7 with one save and a 3.41 ERA as a freshman in 2001 and fanned 98 in 95 innings. He was third in Conference USA in ERA and possib1ly second to John Maine in strikeouts. He made the All-Conference team, one of two freshmen to do so; Michael Aubrey was the other. Baseball America named him as a second-team freshman All-American. In 2002, Sullivan was even sharper, going 13-1 with a 1.82 ERA and 157 strikeouts in 129 innings, allowing 80 hits and 49 walks. He won the pitching Triple Crown and was an obvious choice for Conference USA Pitcher of the Year and All-Conference. He helped Houston finish 10th in the nation. He was 10th in NCAA Division I in ERA, one spot ahead of Justin Verlander, tied for fourth in wins and led NCAA Division I in strikeouts. He was a consensus first-team All-American. He was also the last pitcher that year to defeat the University of Texas, which would win the College World Series.

Sullivan extended his success with a 7-0, 0.72 summer for Team USA, allowing 27 hits and fanning 50 in 50 innings. He beat Japan three times. In the 2002 World University Championship, he did not allow an earned run in 13 innings and went 2-0. He joined Tsuyoshi Wada on the All-Tournament team as the top pitchers. He would win the Baseball America Summer Baseball Player of the Year Award for his efforts.

Brad slipped somewhat in 2003, going 6-8 with a 2.91 ERA, though he did strike out 154 in 124 innings while allowing 90 hits and 44 walks. He again paced Conference USA in strikeouts and was an All-Conference pick for the third year in a row. He fell to 4th in NCAA Division I in strikeouts behind Wade Townsend, Casey Abrams and Jeff Niemann, though he again beat out Verlander, as well as Jered Weaver. The Oakland Athletics picked Sullivan with the 25th pick in the first round of the 2003 amateur draft. He was signed by scout Steve Bowden for a $1,360,000 bonus and made his pro debut that summer.

Sullivan debuted professionally with the Kane County Cougars, going 1-0 with a 3.18 ERA in six relief appearances. In 2004, Brad went 8-11 with a 4.65 ERA for the Modesto Athletics, allowing a .303 average. He battled injuries in 2005 and struggled for the Stockton Ports (0-1, 7.30, .356 average, 21 BB in 24 2/3 IP) and AZL Athletics (0-1, 9.26, .303 average). In 2006, he only pitched 29 games, going 1-1 with a 3.52 ERA for the AZL A's and had a 12.12 ERA for Stockton (opponents hit .345 in 21 games). He pitched five games in early April 2007, with a 6.43 ERA for Stockton, and missed the next two months with injury.

Sources: 2001-2007 Baseball Almanacs, MILB.com, IBAF website, 2007 Athletics Media Guide