2015 Phillies Rotation Candidates
By Matt Veasey
O’Sullivan may be the least talented option, but circumstances could give him a rotation shot at some point.
A 3rd round choice of the Angels back in the 2005 MLB Amateur Draft, Sean O’Sullivan is now 27 years old. The Phillies signed him to a 1-year free agent contract in December of 2013, and then re-signed him this past December after he made 25 starts for AAA Lehigh Valley last season.
O’Sullivan received the opportunity to make 2 spot starts for the Phillies in 2014. On June 28th, the Atlanta Braves roped him around with 8 hits and 4 earned runs over 5.2 innings. He got another shot on August 7th, but again was hit around, this time by the Houston Astros, yielding 5 earned runs on 7 hits over 6 innings. Finally, on September 10th he got into a game against the Pirates, pitching 1 perfect inning in relief.
O’Sullivan has made 39 starts over parts of 5 big league seasons split between the Angels, Royals, and Phillies. He is probably the least talented of the pitchers who are in the mix for the 2015 rotation, and aside from the injury guys he may be the longest shot. But there are just enough of those injury, age, and trade issues out there that it wouldn’t be a complete shock to see him get a few starts at some point.