Mariano Rivera III 2015 Bowman Draft Future Watch, Yankees – Mariano Rivera is widely regarded as the greatest closer of all-time. His son, Mario Rivera III was a 4th round selection in the 2015 MLB Draft as the 134th overall pick by the Washington Nationals. Not the New York Yankees where his dad grew up to be a legend.
This right-hander attended Iona College in New York and had a 5-7 record with a 2.65 ERA. He set a school mark with 113 strikeouts in 85 innings and just 27 walks. He’s a starter, like his dad was at the beginning. Something his dad didn’t do was win the Metro Atlantic Metro Conference’s Pitcher of the Year Award. This Rivera was taken because of talent and not his lineage.
Now at 21, he finished out the baseball year strong, out of the bullpen. He throws 97 MPH gas along with a sinker, slider, curveball and change up. Right now he weighs around 155 pounds, and even though his dad was slender, he still has some filling out to do. One has to wonder why the New York Yankees didn’t try and draft this kid? Long shot or not.
Rivera’s first MLB licensed autographed baseball card debuted with the release of 2015 Bowman Draft Baseball, card number BCA-MR. Every collector of his dad will want to get this card.
Here’s a dramatic video of the young Rivera:
Here’s a news feature on the young hurler:
There’s no real timetable for this prospect to hit the big leagues. Washington won’t rush him so 2017 or 2018 seems likely. Last year was the first time anybody started talking about him following in his dads footsteps. Now he’ll have a chance to build on that.
Mariano Rivera III Player Profile on Bleacher Report
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