Deep in the fourth round of the 2026 MLB Draft, the Phillies grabbed a 6-foot-5, 255-pound LSU righty most casual fans had never heard of. Now Deven Sheerin is officially signed, and the price tag tells you Philadelphia didn't view him as a typical Day 2 flier.
4th-rder Deven Sheerin signs w/@Philies for $600k (slot 128 value = $597,400). @LSUbaseball RHP, some clubs rated as best RP in @MLBDraft, explosive mid-90s fastball up to 100 mph, tight mid-80s slider, good deception too.
The number itself is notable. Sheerin signed for $600,000, just above the assigned slot value of $597,400 for pick No. 128, per Callis. That's not a discount signing to save bonus pool money elsewhere — it's the Phillies paying close to what the pick is worth for a player some evaluators graded well above where he actually went.
The stuff explains the buzz. Sheerin's fastball sits in the mid-90s and has touched triple digits, delivered from a funky, low, cross-body slot that makes the pitch tough to pick up. Pair that with a tight mid-80s slider and you've got the blueprint for a fast-moving relief prospect, the kind of arm that can climb a farm system quickly instead of grinding through a multi-year starter's apprenticeship.
Context matters here too. Sheerin transferred to LSU after starting his career at Mount St. Mary's, then missed the 2025 season entirely with a torn ACL. He came back in 2026 and looked like a different pitcher out of the Tigers' bullpen — 20 relief appearances, 58 strikeouts in 37.2 innings and five saves, numbers that helped him climb draft boards despite the modest ERA. LSU head coach Jay Johnson reportedly said Sheerin "looks like an MLB reliever standing on the mound right now," which is about as strong an endorsement as a college coach can give a guy heading to pro ball.
For a Phillies org that's leaned heavily on established big-league arms at the top of the roster, adding a power reliever with this kind of ceiling in the middle rounds is exactly the kind of value swing player development departments love. If the slider sharpens up and the control holds, Sheerin could be a bullpen piece in Philadelphia sooner than a typical fourth-rounder — the fastball alone buys him a fast track.