Pittsburgh Pirates sign Jarryd Sullivan

New South Wales pitcher Jarryd Sullivan has agreed to terms with the Pittsburgh Pirates. The 19-year old right handed pitcher who can already touch 88-89mph with his fast ball will report to spring training in Bradenton, Florida with the Pirates in 2010.

The signing of Jarryd follows two other recent signings by Pittsburgh's Australian based scout Tony Harris.

Following the official signing at the MLB Australian Academy on Queensland's Gold Coast, Tony commented positively by saying, "we are pleased to be able to acquire Jarryd as our latest Pirate. We feel he deserves the opportunity to prove himself at the professional level. He is a hard working, tough competitor that has developed his game to a level that will allow him to compete at the professional level. He shows good command with his fast ball that has life, and he also has very good secondary pitches in his curve ball and changeup."

Jarryd started playing baseball at the tender age of 5 for the East Hills Baseball Club where he played all of his junior baseball. The first exposure that Jarryd had to representative baseball was at the Under-16 age level where he was selected to the NSW State Winter Development Team. The next representative honour came in the form of selection to the NSW Under- 16 State Team that competed in and won the Australian Championships that year.

On completion of his junior baseball, Jarryd moved to the Canterbury Baseball Club where he was fortunate to link up with NSW pitching coach Barry Holland. Barry assisted greatly in the overall development of Jarryd as a quality pitcher.

While at Canterbury Jarryd earned further representative honours in being selected in two NSW Under-18 State teams. Of great significance Jarryd was also rewarded with selection to participate in the MLB Australian Academy over four 4 consecutive years.

No doubt a huge highlight for Jarryd was selection in 2008 to the Australian Under-19 team that competed in the World Championships in Edmonton, Canada. Jarryd was utilised as a reliever during the World Championships and completed three amazingly successful outings without a run scored against him. Australia finished a solid fourth in the world and Jarryd was a key member of this high ranking Australian team.

Pirates scout Tony Harris who was part of the Australian coaching staff at the World Championships recalled Jarryd's fine outings, "He had good poise on the mound and showed he knows how to pitch and win which was on display for all to see on the international stage last year in the AAA World Championships."

Jarryd's exceptional outings continued and during the recent 2008/09 summer season in Sydney, Jarryd's first full season of 1st Grade baseball, he recorded truly excellent numbers in posting 109 strikeouts from only 82 innings of work.

Given these outstanding numbers Jarryd was selected to the NSW Under-23 team that competed this past April in the Australian Under-23 championships in Geelong where he performed strongly on the mound. It was from these notable performances that attention from scouts began to surface.

A short period after the Australian Under-23 championships Jarryd again had the opportunity to showcase his pitching talents where he worked out for Australian based MLB scouts in Sydney. Again, Jarryd performed strongly during these workouts and interest continued to grow.

During the month of May, Jarryd's manager Craig Stoves of Platinum Player Management arranged a workout in Canberra where a great deal more exposure would be guaranteed as the majority of Australian based MLB scouts were in Canberra covering the Australian Schoolboys Championships. Determined to sign a professional baseball contract Jarryd made the special trip down to Canberra and went on to produce a stellar performance in front of the Australian based MLB scouts.

It was the direct result of this significant workout in Canberra that inspired some of Australia's most respected scouts to throw their full support behind Jarryd in recommending he be included as a participant in the prestigious MLB Australian Academy in Queensland for 2009. Prior to this specific workout, Jarryd had not been included as a participant in the prominent MLB program.

The outcome of this strong support meant Jarryd was offered through the appropriate channel the opportunity to participate in his fourth consecutive MLB Australian Academy. The offer that was extended and the means in which it materialised is a true testament to the professionalism of the whole MLB Academy program.

Just prior to attending for his fourth MLB Australian Academy Jarryd's manager Craig Stoves of Platinum Player Management was contacted by Tony Harris of the Pittsburgh Pirates where an offer was made in retaining the services of the young pitching prospect. Naturally Jarryd wanted to accept this offer immediately however it was not that straightforward as Jarryd was two years into a highly regarded University degree at the University of Western Sydney, and accepting meant he had to first properly determine the correct procedures in deferring his University studies. This process proved to be extensive and discussions with the University continued as Jarryd arrived to participate in the 2009 MLB Australian Academy.

Two weeks into the MLB Academy finally saw the correspondence from the university arrive, and the correspondence arrived with good news. The news; Jarryd could defer his studies while not losing the credits he had already completed. This great news ultimately resulted in Jarryd agreeing to terms with the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Craig Stoves of Platinum is extremely pleased for his latest signing. "I could see the determination and desire in Jarryd's eyes in truly wanting an opportunity to play professional baseball. When you see that passion in a player's eye you know he will give the opportunity everything he has. I was pleased to be able to assist a special player gain an opportunity of a lifetime."

In the end no one was more pleased than Jarryd, "I am really excited about the opportunity to play pro ball and compete with the best, it's a long road ahead and the hard work starts now."

The hard work does start now and as Jarryd embarks on this special journey he knows that his passion and hard work will reward him with success in his endeavours in professional baseball.