Baseball – Baltimore Orioles Select Wall’s Teddy Sharkey In the Seventh Round of the 2023 MLB Draft
With a group of pitchers of all shapes, sizes and types, the Baltimore Orioles have constructed one of the most dominant bullpens in Major League Baseball.
In the seventh round of the 2023 MLB Draft, the Orioles grabbed a former Monmouth County star who they hope will add to that imposing bullpen sooner rather than later.
The Orioles selected former Wall High School standout Teddy Sharkey out of Coastal Carolina University Monday with the 211th overall selection of this year's draft, making him the third Shore Conference alumni to hear his name called in the first two days of the draft.
Sharkey came out of Wall High School as a two-way standout during his three varsity seasons with the Crimson Knights and after initially committing to Florida State after his freshman year at Wall, he signed with Coastal Carolina to focus on becoming a full-time pitcher.
After a strong debut as a freshman reliever (2.25 ERA with 33 strikeouts in 32 innings), Sharkey struggled during his sophomore season (6.19 ERA in 16 innings) and got a chance to show his resilience and confidence by bouncing back as a junior.
And bounce back he did. This past season, Sharkey took over as the Chanticleer's closer and went 7-2 with 11 saves and a 2.90 ERA, allowed 29 hits and 18 walks, while striking out 74 in 49 2/3 innings. Sharkey’s 2023 walk percentage was by far the best of his career: at 8.6 percent, it is equals the Major League average in 2023 and slightly higher the 2022 league average of 8.2.
As exciting as Sharkey's statistical performance was in 2023, his repertoire is what attracted the Orioles and other clubs to the possibility of taking a reliever prospect on day two of the draft. His fastball ranged from 93-to-97 miles-per-hour with some reports of 98, while he also employed both a slider and a curveball that profile well as potential Major League pitches.
Listed at six-foot tall with mixed results pitching multiple innings out of Coastal Carolina's bullpen, Sharkey is considered highly likely to land in the bullpen and his arsenal as an experienced college closer makes him a candidate to move quickly through Baltimore's vaunted minor-league system -- regarded by most publications as the best in all of baseball.
Sharkey is the second member of the 2019 Wall NJSIAA Group III championship team to be drafted in as many years. Trey Dombroski was selected by the Houston Astros in the fourth round of last year's draft out of Monmouth University and during his first full professional season, the left-hander has posted a 3.28 ERA with 93 strikeouts and 24 walks in 74 innings with Single-A Fayetteville.
Dombroski was a two-time Shore Sports Network Pitcher of the Year and while Dombroski headed up the Wall rotation as a senior in 2019, Sharkey ascended to the No. 2 spot in the dominant Crimson Knights rotation as a junior. That season, Sharkey went 6-0 with a 0.80 ERA in 43 innings with 27 hits allowed, 20 walks and 68 strikeouts on the mound in earning a Shore Sports Network First-Team All-Shore selection. Sharkey was also a standout outfielder, hitting .391/.542/.598 with 11 doubles, two triples, a home run, 24 runs scored and 22 RBI while playing centerfield.
The MLB-recommended signing bonus for a player selected with the 211th overall pick is $244,400.
This is a breaking news story. Check back for additional details.
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