07-23-2019, 01:14 AM
Boston Herald article on incoming Freshman Sebastian Keane ...
Red Sox draft pick Sebastian Keane staying true to Northeastern
John Connolly
July 22, 2019 at 6:17 pm
Categories:College, High School, Red Sox, Sports
Sebastian Keane has had a whirlwind spring and early summer.
He used his strong right arm to guide North Andover to the Super Eight championship and was drafted by his hometown Red Sox, before ultimately keeping his word after earlier committing to play at Northeastern University for the foreseeable future.
“It’s been unbelievable. Nothing could have gone any better,” Keane said between games of a recent doubleheader with the North Shore Navigators, his summer league team. “The same day that I was drafted was a day I had to pitch against the No. 1 seed (Franklin) in the tournament. It’s crazy. It’s different. I’ve worked my (butt) off all my life for this. There’s no better feeling. I don’t know how else to describe it.”
Keane said the decision to go the professional route immediately or pursue the college path, at least for the next three years until he again becomes draft eligible under MLB rules, was weighed against the specific draft round and amount of money involved from the MLB Draft process.
“I had heard that some teams were talking about taking me in the second round but once you mention college baseball it gets a little different,” Keane said. “By the third day, teams were asking me if I was going to sign. I said, ‘No.’ Usually, by then teams will draft you much later on as a courtesy but the Red Sox took me in the 11th (No. 347 overall), which is still a good round.
“My father and I got to go to Fenway and we met with (Tony) La Russa and Pedro Martinez for about one hour and 40 minutes and Pedro kept telling me that he would be my pitching coach when I got to spring training. I couldn’t stop smiling,” said Keane, who estimated he already has played four or five youth games at the Back Bay ballyard.
In the end the Red Sox, along with the rest of Major League Baseball, will have to wait awhile after the 18-year-old Keane committed to Northeastern.
“Coach (Mike) Glavine, I love the guy. He’s an honest guy. He doesn’t (lie to) you. We talk all the time about my development,” Keane said. “I know a bunch of the (NU commits) already and a few of the other guys on the team. I can’t wait. It’s going to be fun. I’ve already been enrolled in school for the past three weeks and I’m taking courses in criminology and the environment from Monday to Thursday and then I go home on Thursday and play summer ball with the Navigators.”
While leading North Andover to the Super Eight title, the 6-foot-3, 165-pound right-hander went 10-1 with a 120 strikeouts and only seven earned runs allowed in 65 innings. Keane, who possesses a lively 92 mph fastball, has been described in scouting reports as being deceptive in his delivery, with a three-quarters arm slot who hides the ball well.
“That pitch (fastball) no doubt is his best pitch but I’ll tell you his secondary stuff — the curveball, two-seamer, changeup — are all pretty impressive. Just watching him spin his curveball, he’s so far advanced,” Glavine said. “The big thing is just keeping him healthy. I saw him (recently) working out and he’s about 165 pounds soaking wet. So he has a lot of developing to do.
“We’ve been very fortunate here to have some kids drafted in the last few years and I’m going to put him in touch with them so they can help him. He’s already taking summer classes here. He’s going to pitch a couple of more times for the North Shore Navigators and then we’re going to shut him down.”
Keane is the 42nd Husky drafted by a major league team, a list that also includes Glavine. The former Billerica High star originally was drafted as a first baseman by the Houston Astros in the 93rd round (No. 1,702 overall) in 1994 after his junior season at NU. Like Keane, Glavine opted not to sign initially and was selected the following year by the Cleveland Indians in the 22nd round (No. 614 overall).
“From my perspective, I wasn’t a high draft pick. He’s more like my brother (Hall of Fame pitcher Tom Glavine),” the NU coach said. “So I’m more interested in developing Sebastian as a young man, developing him as a pitcher, as a college student. There’ll be a lot of stress. But being where he is, I don’t think too many other factors will bother him. Every player on my roster wants to be drafted and most could. So, we just want to help him develop so that hopefully in three years he’ll be even more prepared.
“I can’t say enough how impressive Sebastian and his parents, Tom and Marie, have been throughout this whole recruiting process. They’ve stayed true to their word, and it’s really impressive dealing with a great family like that and a great kid like Sebastian.”
Glavine said he was impressed when he first saw Keane at NU’s Winter Baseball Camp in 2017, as well as pitching with Show Baseball Academy for former Peabody star and Red Sox prospect Steve Lomasney.
“We really loved what we saw,” Glavine said. “He’s an athletic kid. The ball comes out of his hand flawlessly. He’s really polished as a pitcher for his age.”
Red Sox draft pick Sebastian Keane staying true to Northeastern
John Connolly
July 22, 2019 at 6:17 pm
Categories:College, High School, Red Sox, Sports
Sebastian Keane has had a whirlwind spring and early summer.
He used his strong right arm to guide North Andover to the Super Eight championship and was drafted by his hometown Red Sox, before ultimately keeping his word after earlier committing to play at Northeastern University for the foreseeable future.
“It’s been unbelievable. Nothing could have gone any better,” Keane said between games of a recent doubleheader with the North Shore Navigators, his summer league team. “The same day that I was drafted was a day I had to pitch against the No. 1 seed (Franklin) in the tournament. It’s crazy. It’s different. I’ve worked my (butt) off all my life for this. There’s no better feeling. I don’t know how else to describe it.”
Keane said the decision to go the professional route immediately or pursue the college path, at least for the next three years until he again becomes draft eligible under MLB rules, was weighed against the specific draft round and amount of money involved from the MLB Draft process.
“I had heard that some teams were talking about taking me in the second round but once you mention college baseball it gets a little different,” Keane said. “By the third day, teams were asking me if I was going to sign. I said, ‘No.’ Usually, by then teams will draft you much later on as a courtesy but the Red Sox took me in the 11th (No. 347 overall), which is still a good round.
“My father and I got to go to Fenway and we met with (Tony) La Russa and Pedro Martinez for about one hour and 40 minutes and Pedro kept telling me that he would be my pitching coach when I got to spring training. I couldn’t stop smiling,” said Keane, who estimated he already has played four or five youth games at the Back Bay ballyard.
In the end the Red Sox, along with the rest of Major League Baseball, will have to wait awhile after the 18-year-old Keane committed to Northeastern.
“Coach (Mike) Glavine, I love the guy. He’s an honest guy. He doesn’t (lie to) you. We talk all the time about my development,” Keane said. “I know a bunch of the (NU commits) already and a few of the other guys on the team. I can’t wait. It’s going to be fun. I’ve already been enrolled in school for the past three weeks and I’m taking courses in criminology and the environment from Monday to Thursday and then I go home on Thursday and play summer ball with the Navigators.”
While leading North Andover to the Super Eight title, the 6-foot-3, 165-pound right-hander went 10-1 with a 120 strikeouts and only seven earned runs allowed in 65 innings. Keane, who possesses a lively 92 mph fastball, has been described in scouting reports as being deceptive in his delivery, with a three-quarters arm slot who hides the ball well.
“That pitch (fastball) no doubt is his best pitch but I’ll tell you his secondary stuff — the curveball, two-seamer, changeup — are all pretty impressive. Just watching him spin his curveball, he’s so far advanced,” Glavine said. “The big thing is just keeping him healthy. I saw him (recently) working out and he’s about 165 pounds soaking wet. So he has a lot of developing to do.
“We’ve been very fortunate here to have some kids drafted in the last few years and I’m going to put him in touch with them so they can help him. He’s already taking summer classes here. He’s going to pitch a couple of more times for the North Shore Navigators and then we’re going to shut him down.”
Keane is the 42nd Husky drafted by a major league team, a list that also includes Glavine. The former Billerica High star originally was drafted as a first baseman by the Houston Astros in the 93rd round (No. 1,702 overall) in 1994 after his junior season at NU. Like Keane, Glavine opted not to sign initially and was selected the following year by the Cleveland Indians in the 22nd round (No. 614 overall).
“From my perspective, I wasn’t a high draft pick. He’s more like my brother (Hall of Fame pitcher Tom Glavine),” the NU coach said. “So I’m more interested in developing Sebastian as a young man, developing him as a pitcher, as a college student. There’ll be a lot of stress. But being where he is, I don’t think too many other factors will bother him. Every player on my roster wants to be drafted and most could. So, we just want to help him develop so that hopefully in three years he’ll be even more prepared.
“I can’t say enough how impressive Sebastian and his parents, Tom and Marie, have been throughout this whole recruiting process. They’ve stayed true to their word, and it’s really impressive dealing with a great family like that and a great kid like Sebastian.”
Glavine said he was impressed when he first saw Keane at NU’s Winter Baseball Camp in 2017, as well as pitching with Show Baseball Academy for former Peabody star and Red Sox prospect Steve Lomasney.
“We really loved what we saw,” Glavine said. “He’s an athletic kid. The ball comes out of his hand flawlessly. He’s really polished as a pitcher for his age.”