• Full name Shane Michael Connolly
  • Born 02/13/1999 in Huntersville, NC
  • Profile Ht.: 6'2" / Wt.: 175 / Bats: L / Throws: L
  • School Virginia Tech
  • Drafted in the 10th round (289th overall) by the Kansas City Royals in 2021 (signed for $72,500).
    View Draft Report
    Connolly spent three seasons at The Citadel before transferring to Virginia Tech this spring, where he’s split time between starting and relieving. A 6-foot-2, 175-pound lefthander, Connolly posted a 4.14 ERA over 63 innings, with 81 strikeouts (11.6 K/9) and 14 walks (2.0 BB/9). He attacks hitters with an east-west approach that’s certainly not the style of the current big league game, but it seems to work for him while pitching out of a sidearm slot and using a low-80s slider as his primary pitch. He’s thrown it about half the time this spring, compared to his fastball that parks around 90 and gets up to 93 mph—which he’s thrown about a third of the time. Connolly’s third pitch is a 78-82 mph changeup that features slight tumbling action and is thrown down and to his glove side.

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