An Interview with Greeneville Astros OF Sean McMullen

Greeneville OF Sean McMullen, drafted in the 30th round out of LSU, has had an outstanding beginning to his professional career. In 22 games, he is hitting .325/.372/.470 with four doubles, one triple, two home runs and 20 RBI. Generously listed as 5'9" on the roster, McMullen hasn't let his small stature get in his way as he carves out his niche on the Greeneville team.

Sean McMullen - July 2014

Photo by Jayne Hansen

Greeneville Manager Josh Bonifay said of McMullen, "I love Mac. Mac's just a baller. He's been a stable in our 3-hole. He gives really good at-bats. If you try to blow fastballs by him, he's ready to hit them. If you try to pitch him backwards, he's also patient with his eye. He's been clutch, very clutch in our 3-hole. He's been very stable in left field. He gives you a good route to the ball. He hits the cut-off. He just does the small things right here at this level. He does them well. He actually runs better than you think. He gets down the line pretty good. He's got some good baseball instincts which is good to have in the clubhouse."

When I talked to McMullen last weekend in Greeneville, the first question I asked him was about his college experience. He said, "Out of high school, I didn't get any scholarship offers from the major Division 1 schools that I wanted to go to so I decided to go to junior college [Delgado Community College] where Coach Joe Scheuermann gave me a great opportunity to get better which I ended up doing. I spent my two years there and I earned a scholarship to LSU. I grew up a Tiger fan and it was a blast being able to wear that uniform."

Of his draft experience, McMullen assured me that as a senior sign, he wasn't particularly worried about where he would get drafted, "I just wanted my chance. I just wanted a team to believe in me and give me a shot. I know I can play baseball. I was always kind of under-rated as a player and that's how I like to play. Now that I'm out here, I feel like it doesn't matter what round you're picked in. If you can play baseball, they're going to want you to move up. I have a number of friends in this organization and they all love it. They have nothing but good things to say. I'm excited to see them down the road, meet new people, all the managers and coaches."

When McMullen spoke of the coaching staff, he made a veiled reference that I felt must be referring to Greeneville Hitting Coach Cesar Cedeño. Since none of these players were even born yet when Cedeño was a star in Houston, I asked Sean if he even knew who Cedeño is. "I wasn't around when he was the superstar, but I definitely knew who Cesar Cedeño was." Once he got to Greeneville, he was a little bit in awe, "I was like, 'Wow, Cesar Cedeño is watching me hit. He likes my swing. I must be doing something right.' But he wants to help us out just as much as we want to get better." McMullen appreciates the opportunity to learn from Cedeño and to soak in his knowledge.

The biggest adjustment to pro ball for McMullen is playing every day, "In college, you play about four games a week and you have time to practice and recover. But the fact that I don't have school, I don't have to study for stuff definitely helps relieve a lot of the stress. Definitely playing every day is the biggest adjustment. Being able to brush off either a bad night or even a good night and going the next day like it's a new day. You don't want to stumble at all because it can be a slippery slope here."

I asked McMullen what he felt like he had accomplished in his short time as a professional baseball player. He responded, "I think I just proved to myself that I can play, that I can play pro ball and succeed. My biggest thing is that once I believe that the competition is too great for me, then I'll admit it. But I haven't been in a spot or a league where I've been over matched. I feel like I can succeed at any level that I play at. Just being able to come straight from college into pro ball, I realize that it's the same game that I played growing up. I think that there's a lot less pressure right now than I had playing in the SEC. It's just a lot of fun. I'm having a lot of fun right now, especially meeting people [hearing] their stories, where they come from. That's always interesting too."

How would McMullen characterize himself defensively? "I think I'm a much speedier guy than people tend to see out of me because obviously I don't have the height. I can hit the ball for power and I think people just assume that since I can hit for power I'm a little bit slower, but I think I'm one of the fastest people in the leagues that I've played in. So when I play defense, I show that I can get to those balls and open their eyes. I take a lot of pride in my defense. I definitely love playing the outfield, but I love hitting too."

When I asked Sean what pitcher on the team he would least like to face, his answer came quickly, "[Reymin] Guduan. No doubt. Oh man! He looks like a big leaguer. He's one of the first people I saw when I got off the plane here and I was like 'What am I getting myself into?' Gudan, for sure, especially [being a] lefthander [throwing] 96 to 98."

Who on the team makes him laugh? "[Yonathan] Mejia. Mejia's trying to learn English and he's doing a really good job of it, but he learns it through music. I just watch what songs he's listening to. It's just really funny. Especially since I can't understand half of what he says, and I'm still laughing at what he says. I can only imagine if I could completely understand him."

I also wanted to know if there were any particular players on the team that he really enjoyed watching play. "You know, I think [Juan] Santana is a very special player. He's still developing and he has all the talent in the world. He makes some plays that definitely open up people's eyes. Just watching his demeanor ... I love the way he plays baseball." And then McMullen went back to Guduan as another standout, "I actually really like watching Guduan pitch just because you see big league stuff on the mound and you just want him to do well so bad."

What would Sean do if he couldn't play baseball? "I'd be a physical therapist. That's what I studied in school and it's definitely my second passion." Having been through a number of injuries himself, McMullen appreciates the experiences he had with his physical therapists, "I just realized that's what I'd want to be if baseball wasn't to work out."

When asked if he could tell me anything about himself that most people don't know and might be surprised to hear, he told me, "I'm actually a stud on the pogo stick. I can do a backflip on the pogo stick."

The one thing that stood out for me in speaking with McMullen is that he will never offer up an excuse. He is the type of player who will get the maximum out of every opportunity and experience, whether it's proving that he belongs on the field or simply just getting to know his fellow players. He knows that he has been given a unique opportunity and he plans to make the most of it.

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Thank you for your time, Sean, and the best of luck as the season continues.