Emmet Sheehan: Headed to 100!

Emmet Sheehan is a Right Handed pitcher in the Dodgers organization that is turning heads as he ascends through the system. He’s big, he’s talented and he has a lightning bolt for a right arm and one that has those in the system super excited about his future.

Salisbury

Sheehan was a 2 sport star at Salisbury in Connecticut as a Prep and was widely known as one of the best prospects in the Northeast. He was big, had big stuff, and had a changeup and curveball that wiped High School hitters out. And, of course, a big fastball as well.

Needless to say, he had plenty of options after his prep career but eventually chose Boston College as his Collegiate destination because it felt like a perfect fit, something which proved to be the case several times over. He was looking for a school that could offer the perfect combination of great academics and also great baseball, and BC checked every box.

B.C. was a perfect fit. My mom was adamant about going to a good school, and I wanted to go to a really good baseball school, and they were my first offer at the time, so it was kind of a no-brainer. I took their offer right away and I’m very happy that I did because it was awesome and I love Boston College.

At BC he got immediate playing time as a True Freshman in 2019 but really made his mark in 2021 which was, not coincidentally, the season after Covid canceled his College baseball season after just 15 games in 2020.

The Covid shutdown was tough, but it also opened the door to a great opportunity for Sheehan that catapulted his career. When the Cape Cod league got canceled, many of the players that were supposed to play in that league that Summer instead moved over to the Futures League that Sheehan was playing in. That gave him the opportunity to pitch against the best Collegiate talent in the Country and gave him a springboard headed into his third year at B.C in 2021.

The Summer Leagues were great. I played in the Futures League before my Freshman year, then the NECBL the next year, then back to the Futures League again. It was great because we had players from all over the country coming up to play in those Leagues and it was right in our backyard, so it was great.

During his third year as an Eagle, Sheehan recorded 106 strikeouts in just 76.2 innings and flashed big enough stuff to get drafted in the 6th Round of the 2021 Draft by the Dodgers. With 2 years of eligibility left, the decision wasn’t super easy, but when the Dodgers are the team that drafts you, it eliminates a lot of the indecision. Sheehan knew the Dodgers could offer him the best instruction in the world, so, while he enjoyed his time at B.C., it didn’t take him long to decide to become a pro.

Here’s what he had to say about the decision to turn pro.

It was a little bit of a tough decision. I entered the draft kind of expecting to leave school, and it wasn’t too much on my mind to go back. I was expecting to go a little higher in the draft, but then when the 6th Round came, I had heard a ton about the Dodger’s developmental system and how great they are at developing pitchers, so that sealed the deal for me and I definitely wanted to become a Dodger, for sure.

Dodgers

After getting drafted in 2021, Sheehan threw 1 time at the Complex in the ACL before being moved to Rancho where he made 5 starts. He got moved to Great Lakes for his last start of that season, then spent through August of this past season in 2022 with the Loons before being moved to Tulsa for his last 2 appearances in September.

Sheehan mentioned, in his earlier quote, how excited he was to sign with the Dodgers because of their first-class developmental system, and he hasn’t been disappointed.

The Dodgers have helped me more than I can say. It’s really crazy how good they are at finding what someone is good at and letting them do their thing, but also giving them things to get better at, but not overcrowding them with too much information. Being with the Dodgers has been everything I could have hoped for.

Feature Cut

After some early shoulder issues, none that were/are serious, Sheehan really turned a corner this past season. Starting with his 2nd start in June, he didn’t allow a run in 6 starts in a row and struck out 40 hitters in 22.2 innings while walking just 6 during that stretch.

He followed that up by posting an ERA of just 1.31 in July, 2.83 in August, and finished his season by pitching very well in the Arizona Fall League. In fact, in one of his appearances in the AFL, he struck out 8 hitters in a row, largely due to his big fastball that features a bunch of Velo combined with “ride” at the top of the zone, run to the arm side, and all from a 3/4 slot that makes his delivery uncomfortable for hitters.

His Fastball reached as high as 99 this past season, and he’s almost certain to reach triple digits with it next year. When combined with the extension he gets by being 6’5, and the fact that it’s delivered from a 3/4 slot, it gives his fastball the potential to be elite on every level.

The following video shows his fastball in action, and notice how it rides in on the right-handed hitters.

Changeup

Sheehan’s changeup has always been his best secondary pitch. He was a changeup/curveball guy in College, so he’s always been comfortable throwing those 2 pitches. He still considers those 2 pitches to be his most comfortable secondaries in terms of being able to land them for strikes. Another advantage of the 3/4 delivery of Sheehan is that it allows him to get on top of his changeup and get good fading action to that pitch.

Slider

Sheehan’s slider came a long way in 2022. He changed his grip on the pitch and as the year went on he was able to add velo and more “bite” to the pitch. The slider is the best pitch to play off of the fastball because it’s the easiest to tunnel, something of which Sheehan takes advantage of.

Curveball

Sheehan’s curveball is a strike pitch for him. He has always felt comfortable throwing it and feels very confident in being able to land it in the zone for a “get me over” strike 1 pitch, or in a 3-2 count, or any situation where a hitter is sitting fastball.

Massive Potential

Sheehan has always had big talent, and as good as he has always been it feels like he really took the next step this past year. He had large stretches of total dominance including during the “hitter-friendly” Arizona Fall League when he struck out 8 hitters in a row.

His fastball is one of the best in the game, at any level, and his ability to drop in changeups and an occasional curveball combined with the improvement in his slider makes his potential exciting.

Sheehan is much more than just stuff though. When he takes the mound, he does so with purpose and the intensity he pitches with is noticeable and contagious. He backs down to no one and no one thing, and his confidence combined with his physical stature and big stuff can be intimidating. His future is big!

In closing, I would like to thank Emmet for joining Dodgers Daily. Getting to watch his progression through last year was super fun, and it was a great pleasure getting the chance to speak with him. His future is extremely bright, and Dodgers Daily can’t wait to watch Dodgers fans turn their heads the closer he gets to the MLB.