YGY SI Yanks Prospect Profile: Sean Carley

Former West Virigina hurler Sean Carley. Mandatory Credit: wvusports.com

For this week’s edition of the Staten Island Yankees’ prospect profile, we are going to take a look at a player that is fairly new to the team. RHP Sean Carley, the team’s 14th round pick in this year’s draft, was added to the short-season roster before Friday night’s game against Hudson Valley.

When the New York Yankees drafted him, all the talk around him was that he looked just like the fictional pitcher, Kenny Powers, from the HBO series “Eastbound and Down.” However, the team didn’t just draft him because he looks like a TV character.

This season, at West Virginia, Carley went 5-3 with a 2.95 ERA. He made 18 appearances, nine of which were starts and had four saves. He struck out 47 batters in 73.1 innings pitched, but led the team with ten hit by pitches thrown.

His college career started at the Air Force Academy, where he played for two seasons. In 2011, he had one of the best seasons on the Air Force squad. Carley started 12 games, went 3-5 with a 3.94 ERA, and struck out 62 batters in over 82 innings of work. Until this past season at West Virginia, the right-hander hadn’t pitched since 2011 due to undergoing Tommy John surgery in 2012 and sitting out 2013 at West Virginia due to the transfer rules.

After making two relief appearances in the Gulf Coast League, Carley made his Staten Island debut on Monday night in Game 1 of the team’s doubleheader against Aberdeen. Coming into the game in the fifth inning, Carley struggled with his command as he hit the first batter he faced. He walked two batters and gave up two runs in two innings of work in a no-decision.

There is still a lot of hype surrounding Carley, especially about his former look. I talked to Carley after Friday night’s game about how despite not having the Kenny Powers look anymore, he still pitches with the same aggression:

"“It was a lot of fun for me in college. Cleaned up a little bit. It’s definitely more professional and now I can finally make a name for myself rather than being constantly called Kenny,” said Carley. “Even though I don’t have the mullet and the goatee, the mindset is still there.”"

He told us after the game about his arsenal that he brings to the mound, which includes a four-seam and two-seam fastball, a slider, and a changeup, all of which Carley said he can throw for strikes.

With most of the Yankees’ top picks, such as 5th round pick Jordan Foley and 6th round pick, Jonathan Holder, already making their Staten Island debuts, it will be interesting to see how these pitchers pan out this season at the Richmond County Bank Ballpark in St. George.