Nationals select Mariano Rivera III in fourth round of MLB draft
The Washington Nationals selected pitcher Mariano Rivera III in the fourth round of the MLB draft on Tuesday. Rivera is the son of longtime Yankees closer Mariano Rivera.
The 21-year-old Rivera doesn't throw the same cut fastball that made his father famous, but he does hit 97 miles-per-hour on the radar gun and has a fastball in the low-to-mid 90s, according to a New York Postreport.
The Yankees drafted Rivera III in the 29th round of the 2014 MLB draft, but the pitcher elected to return to school. They were expected to try to draft him again this year.
Rivera is the reigning the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Pitcher of the Year. As a starter for Iona College in 2015, he struck out 113 batters in 85 innings and posted a 2.65 ERA. He threw six complete games, including three shutouts.
- Will Green
