The Washington Nationals are playing the New York Yankees on Tuesday night. So it was fitting that they selected Mariano Rivera Jr., son of legendary closer Yankees Mariano Rivera, out of Iona College in the fourth round of the 2015 MLB draft on Tuesday.
The right-handed hurler earned pitcher of the year honors in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) with a 5-7 record and team-leading 2.65 ERA. His last name wasn’t the only reason he attracted professional attention, as Yahoo Sports’ Jeff Passan noted:
It seems the Nationals are embarking upon a trend of taking the offspring of MLB greats. Rivera Jr. is not their only son of a legend, as CSN’s Chase Hughes pointed out:
That, of course, has Twitter users starting to make projections about what might happen to the young Rivera. Jesse Spector of Sporting News sees some big playoff moments in his future:
Though it’s asking a lot, many are hoping he turns out to have stuff like his father. That’s something ESPN and Yahoo Sports radio host Tim Murray would love to see:
For the sake of a storybook ending, it would have been perfect if Rivera Jr. went to the Yankees, who originally drafted him in the 29th round in 2014. However, it wasn’t to be during this second go-round. Yahoo Sports’ Mike Oz offered his sincere condolences to New York fans:
Ultimately, baseball fans have to realize that time is moving a bit faster than expected, as former Texas Rangers writer Patrick DeSpain suggested:
The Nationals did not have a pick in the first round, but they took a pair of outfielders, Andrew Stevenson and Blake Perkins, in the second.
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