Scott Sullivan

William Scott Sullivan

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 6' 3", Weight 210 lb.
• School Auburn University
• High School Pickens Academy
• Debut May 6, 1995
• Final Game August 25, 2004
• Born March 13, 1971 in Tuscaloosa, AL USA

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Biographical Information

"I was fortunate enough to trick a couple people in the minors, then I was able to trick a couple of people to swing at the slop I was throwing to spend some time in the majors." - a self-deprecating quote from Scott Sullivan, who is said to be quite modest about his accomplishments (quoted here)

Scott Sullivan pitched 10 seasons in the big leagues, mostly with the Cincinnati Reds. He was a workhorse pitcher who often appeared in 60+ games in a season, and yet usually posted a good ERA+.

Sullivan was born in Tuscaloosa, AL and attended high school in Carrollton, AL, 35 miles away. He went to college at Auburn University in Auburn, AL, on the other side of the state. His time there overlapped (in 1993) with that of Mark Bellhorn. Bellhorn would eventually come to the Cincinnati Reds a few years after Sullivan left.

Scott was a second round draft pick in 1993 and proved his mettle right away by going 5-0 for the Billings Mustangs in the Rookie League. He never had a losing season in the minors, going 29-13 total with 14 saves and a 2.85 ERA in six seasons (although the last, in 2005, consisted of only 2 games). He spent 1995 to 1997 with the Indianapolis Indians, and in 19 games there in 1997, had an ERA of 1.30.

Sullivan made his major league debut in May of 1995. He spent most of 1995 and 1996 in the minors, however, in spite of an ERA of 2.25 in 7 games at the major league level in 1996. In 1997, in addition to his great partial year at Indianapolis, he appeared in 59 games for the Reds at the major league level with a 3.24 ERA. From 1998 to 2001, he had four straight seasons in which he pitched over 100 innings in relief. Workhorse relief pitchers like him would become an extinguished species within a few years of that stretch, however.

He was traded in August 2003 when his record was 6-0. He became a free agent at the end of the season, and 2004 was his last year in the majors, with the Kansas City Royals.

In 2007 he came back to Auburn University to work with the ballplayers and in 2008 was named a Volunteer Assistant Coach.

This article indicates he became baseball coach at Lee-Scott Academy in Auburn, AL in 2009. The athletic director at Lee-Scott had coached Scott when Scott was in high school.