Nationals select Mariano Rivera’s son in fourth round of MLB Draft
Mariano Rivera’s family tree won’t continue to grow in the Bronx, as the Washington Nationals selected Mariano Rivera III on Tuesday in the fourth round of the MLB Draft.
Rivera, a pitcher out of Iona, was the 134th overall selection. The Yankees had their chance, drafting Rivera Jr. in 2014 in the 29th round, but didn’t sign him. That turned out being a good move for Rivera, because he had an impressive junior season at Iona, where his velocity jumped up just like his draft stock.
Mo Jr. — he’s technically Mariano Rivera III, but the family calls him Junior — ranked No. 142 on Baseball America’s draft board. This past season, he carried a 2.65 ERA in 14 appearances, all starts. He threw three shutouts and tallied 113 strikeouts against 27 walks.
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Those are impressive numbers that show Rivera getting a draft nod this time around had less to do with bloodlines and more to do with his maturation over the past year. Unlike his famous father, Rivera doesn’t even throw a cutter, but scouts like his curve.
The younger Rivera also appears to have grown up and filled out, compared to pics taken during his dad’s retirement festivities. He’s also starting to look a lot more like his dad.
Will the Yankees rue the day they didn’t draft the second Mariano Rivera? Since this is the MLB Draft we’re talking about, we’ll know in about five years.
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Mike Oz is the editor of Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter! Follow @MikeOz
