By CHRIS RANDAZZO
of The Gazette
Former Pacelli baseball star Kevin Sullivan was recently named to the Northern League all-star team. Sullivan plays for the Lincoln Saltdogs, a member of the Northern League (an independent minor league baseball league) in Lincoln, Neb.
Sullivan will be one of three Saltdogs' representatives for the Central Division in the leagues' all-star game in Winnipeg on July 31.
Sullivan currently leads the Saltdogs with a .348 batting average. The average places him sixth in the Central Division. He has had four hits in a game twice this season and currently has an eight-game hitting streak. "I've worked really hard to get to the point I'm at. I worked hard during spring training with the Phillies organization and also in the off-season. It's really paid off for me," Sullivan said.
After starring at Pacelli, started at catcher for Carthage College in Kenosha for four years and was runner-up for the 2000 National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association District 5 Player of the Year.
Sullivan, a catcher, was drafted by the Philadelphia Phillies with the 15th pick in the 32nd round of the Major League Baseball 2000 amateur draft. That was the second time Sullivan's name was called in the draft. The Los Angeles Dodgers drafted him in the 61st round in 1996 after he finished his high school career. Sullivan chose to play collegiately at Carthage instead.
After spending extra time at the organization's spring training facility in Clearwater, Fla., rehabbing a quadriceps injury that he suffered in May while playing for Carthage College, Sullivan was sent to Batavia, N.Y., to play for the Muckdogs of the Class A Short-Season New York-Penn League.
Sullivan had a tough start at the plate, but a hot streak helped him earn a promotion to the Class A Piedmont Boll Weevils. Playing for the first-place Piedmont team, he finished with a .324 batting average in 11 games. He also had four doubles and drove in four runs.
After being released by the Phillies at the end of spring training, he signed on with the Saltdogs. "Being released by the Phillies has turned out to be a blessing in disguise for me. I'm playing every day now and the level of competition is better than I ran into in A ball last year. This is a legitimate AA league," Sullivan said.
He added that most players at the A and AA levels don't get a chance to play daily. "It's feels really good coming to the park every day and knowing I'm going to play," he said.
Sullivan said that playing for the Saltdogs has been a much better experience overall than playing in the Phillies' organization last year. "The people in the organization go out of their way to let you know that you are important to them, and the fans are great," he said.
The Saltdogs play in a brand new park, which Sullivan said is "unbelievable." He also said the fan support is much better than he saw last year with either of the Phillies' teams. "There are 5,000-6,000 fans at the game every night. It's a lot of fun and I'm enjoying every second of it," he said.
Sullivan also said that the Northern League is a great stepping stone for getting back to a team affiliated with a Major League organization. A number of big-league players, like J.D. Drew and Daryl Strawberry, have played in the Northern League.
"Any day I could sign with an affiliate. Lots of teams are looking at me and a number of scouts have told me that the best thing for me is to keep playing every day. That way they can evaluate me," Sullivan said. " I don't know if it'll be during the season or after the season, but I think I'll be back with an affiliated team."