This story was excerpted from Thomas Harding¡¯s Rockies Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

DENVER -- Left-handed starting pitcher Sean Sullivan, the Rockies¡¯ No. 10 prospect according to MLB Pipeline, came through his first professional season in 2024 with strong numbers, even if the significantly higher workload strained him.

A second-round Draft choice out of Wake Forest in 2023, Sullivan posted a 2.11 ERA and 125 strikeouts in 115 1/3 innings across two levels this past year. The performance was good enough to earn him a late-season promotion from High-A Spokane to Double-A Hartford, and an invitation to 2025 Major League Spring Training.

Imagine what Sullivan would have done had he not pitched the latter part of the season with a right hip impingement that required surgery in the offseason. But with the experience behind him and the issue corrected, through an operation to shave bone growths and make a slight repair to the hip labrum, Sullivan could get a real Major League look this Spring Training if his recovery is complete, or could work his way to the Majors at some point.

¡°It was a great experience,¡± Sullivan said. ¡°I learned a lot of things for myself. Just watching and being around that much baseball, and pitching that much, you learn a lot about yourself and the game.

¡°I got to Double-A, which was a big step for me, because I wanted to face that level of competition.¡±

In 2022, Sullivan threw a combined 92 2/3 innings as a freshman at Northwestern and in the Cape Cod summer league. After transferring to Wake Forest, he fanned 111 batters in 69 2/3 innings 2023.

Sullivan made 14 starts at Spokane last year, with the Rockies building in a three-week break in late June and early July -- mainly to rest his arm and hip and to study his delivery at the team¡¯s performance lab in Scottsdale, Ariz. His time on the mound was special. His 2.16 ERA with 101 strikeouts in 83 1/3 innings earned him Northwest League Pitcher of the Year honors. Sullivan pitched to a 1.97 ERA in his seven Double-A starts.

At its best, Sullivan¡¯s fastball crosses at in the low to mid 90s in mph. But hitters have difficulty timing him up because of a combination of an unusual lower motion and a lengthy stride toward the plate. Sullivan, listed at 6-foot-4 and 190 pounds, is capable of release points of up to 7 feet, 4 inches closer to the plate than the rubber. So 60 feet, 6 inches can become 53 feet, 2 inches, translating into less reaction time for the hitter.

Because of the hip irritation, Sullivan¡¯s radar readings dropped to around 88 mph. But hitters still were late on the fastball. Sullivan also has a sweeping slider and a changeup that went from a seldom-used pitch in college to a true asset in pro ball.

And there¡¯s an attitude that allows a pitcher with a below-average fastball to dominate hitters.

¡°I¡¯m not saying he¡¯s as good, but he¡¯s that Greg Maddux/Orel Hershiser kind of guy -- who looks mild, meek and intellectual off the field but competes like crazy between the lines,¡± said Flint Wallace, Rockies¡¯ coordinator of pitching strategies. ¡°He¡¯s tougher than people give him credit for.¡±

Sullivan said he will know in the next several weeks if he¡¯ll be full speed by Spring Training. He is eager to reach full speed, and show that what he has is enough to succeed at the highest level.

¡°I¡¯ve never been a super-sought-after guy, so I¡¯ve always had that chip on my shoulder where I¡¯m kind of an underdog,¡± Sullivan said. ¡°I may not be on these prospect lists. It¡¯s almost better that way. I have something to prove.¡±