Sean Teague drafted by Florida
June 17, 2009
By Christopher Huber
Pitcher Sean Teague has a lot to be happy about these days. Not only is his two-seamed fastball proving to get batters out when it counts — he pitched a perfect game April 23 — but also he was just drafted by the Florida Marlins.
The 2004 Eastlake High School graduate was chosen in the 25th round of the Major League Baseball draft, June 9 and 10. Teague will likely play with a minor league affiliate of the Marlins. “Just like a dream come true,” Teague said in a phone interview June 12. “You never really think it could happen, but when it does, it’s just an awesome feeling.”
Teague learned of his future with Florida in a congratulatory phone call from a club representative last week, he said.
The 6-foot-1 inch right-hander started for Southern Polytechnic State University in Marietta, Ga. in 2009. He went 8-2 in 72 innings and maintained a 2.23 earned-run average, according to the team’s Web site. Teague finished his college career 13-4 with five saves and was named the Southern States Athletic Conference Pitcher of the Year in 2009.
In one of his final starts of the regular season in April, Teague pulled off a feat most pitchers only dream of executing. He pitched a perfect game against Reinhardt, pitching 100 pitches and striking out 12 batters in a 9-0 victory.
In a perfect game, no opposing players reach base.
“I really didn’t think about until the fifth inning,” Teague said about the pressure of completing a perfect game. “I was just thinking, ‘don’t screw this up.’”
He said the idea of playing for a Major League organization is still strange, but he’s ready to focus all his energy on playing baseball.
“It’s always been my dream, but the last couple years I thought I could have a chance as long as I work hard and keep pitching,” Teague said.
Sean Teague comes from a long line of Eastlake ball players, said his father Steve Teague. Before the family moved to Georgia in 2006, Sean’s brothers Philip and Adam had each gone through former coach J.T. D’Amico’s program at Eastlake.
“Pretty exciting. Coming from a small tech school, they don’t get a lot of notoriety,” said Steve Teague after the draft. “He’s pretty excited. You never know how the draft’s going to go.”
Before playing a couple of seasons at Southern Poly, Sean Teague played for coach Mark Yoshino at Bellevue Community College. Yoshino said he brought Teague onboard to pitch practically on good faith upon D’Amico’s recommendation.
“He was actually a better hitter,” Yoshino said. “Because of that, I took Sean without even seeing him pitch in high school.”
Teague, a somewhat quiet workhorse, soon blossomed into a reputable pitcher for Bellevue, Yoshino said.
“He wasn’t a bare-minimum kind of guy, but he just kind of went about his own biz and quietly paved his way to success,” said Yoshino.
Teague has yet to find out which level he’ll play at to develop in the Marlins program, but regardless, he said he’s grateful to get a chance at the pros.
He said he’s driven by the opportunity to play and work at something.
“When I get out there, it’s to win and to do well,” he said. “I just love to compete and pitch.”
Reporter Christopher Huber can be reached at 392-6434, ext. 242, or chuber@isspress.com. Comment on this story at www.sammamishreview.com.
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