Sean Anthony Hjelle (pronounced “Jelly”) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the San Francisco Giants. He was born on May 7, 1997.
He was a member of the University of Kentucky baseball team. Hjelle was drafted in the second round of the 2018 Major League Baseball draft by the San Francisco Giants. He stands 6 feet 11 inches (2.11 meters) tall.
If Hjelle makes it to the majors, he will tie with former pitcher Jon Rauch for the record of being the tallest player in major league history.
The San Francisco Giants picked Hjelle in the second round of the 2018 MLB draft, with the 45th overall pick. He joined the Salem-Keizer Volcanoes for a $1.5 million signing bonus and made his professional debut. Hjelle pitched with Salem-Keizer for the entire season, posting a 5.06 ERA in 12 starts.
Hjelle began the 2019 season with the Class A South Atlantic League’s Augusta GreenJackets, starting on Opening Day. In May, he was promoted to the San Jose Giants’ Class A Advanced team.
The Giants advanced Hjelle to the Class AA Eastern League’s Richmond Flying Squirrels in August, where he ended the season. Hjelle was 7–9 with a 3.32 ERA in 28 starts for the three clubs.