Oakland Ballers Re-Sign "Slim Reaper"
The Oakland Ballers have begun announcing their roster for the upcoming 2025 season, and the first signing that has come out is actually brining back an old friend in Connor Sullivan, who some on social media have nicknamed the "Slim Reaper."
Born in Walnut Creek, the 23-year-old former Cal pitcher landed with the Oakland Ballers in late July of the 2024 campaign, getting into 12 games out of the bullpen and racking up 21 1/3 innings with a 1.69 ERA. In his time with the B's, he gave up just 11 hits, but also walked 11, yet his WHIP was still a solid 1.031. He also accumulated 30 strikeouts, giving him 12.7 strikeouts per nine.
Sullivan picked up two saves, including the final seven outs in Oakland's playoff-clinching win during the final week of the regular season. He also started his Ballers career with an eight-game, 14 2/3 inning scoreless streak, which really put him on the map.
Given that he didn't start much throughout his collegiate career, it's unlikely that he'll be stretched out to expand his role for 2025. Instead, it seems more likely that Sullivan will be pitching in big spots for the Ballers over the course of the season.
Ballers manager Aaron Miles said of bringing back Sullivan, “I’m really looking forward to having Sully back with us for next season. He did such a great job with us coming out of the bullpen and really shutting things down late in ball games. No doubt he’s one of the big reasons why we had so much success at the end of the year.”
With Cal, the right-hander made it into 50 games and compiled a 6.49 ERA across 111 innings. His walk rate was actually better in college than the 4.6 per nine he put up with Oakland, but his strikeout rate also sat at just 7.2 per nine frames with Cal, though it jumped up to 9.8 per nine in his final year with the Golden Bears.
The Oakland Ballers season begins on May 20 at home against the Ogden Raptors. In fact, the Ballers will be home for the first two series of the season, so they will be at Raimondi Park from May 20-June 1, with Monday, May 26 as the only off-day.
The team is currently offering a "Ballers Love Bundle" for Valentine's Day, which includes two flex tickets, two special t-shirts, and two Valentine's Day cards. The first 50 people to buy the pack will also get a four-pack of Almanac Ballers Love Hazy IPA.
The Ballers will continue to announce roster additions in the coming weeks as they build up for the 2025 campaign. The initial group of announcements is expected to be the players that will be re-signing, followed by the new additions to the roster.
Jason has been covering the A’s at various sites for over a decade, and was the original host of the Locked on A’s podcast. He also covers the Stanford Cardinal as they attempt to rebuild numerous programs to prominence.