St. John's University Athletics
Varvaro Signs Professional Contract with Seattle Mariners
8/27/2005 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
Aug. 27, 2005
Staten Island, NY - Flanked by his parents, brother, girlfriend, and family and friends, St. John's junior Anthony Varvaro (Staten Island, NY) fulfilled the dream of a lifetime on Saturday afternoon when he signed a professional contract wtih the Seattle Mariners.
It was a longer process than most Major League Baseball 2005 draft selections, as Varvaro underwent Tommy John surgery on his right elbow in late June.
Varvaro, who had been projected to be selected in the top-five rounds before the injury, was taken in the 12th round by the Mariners and then waited out during most of the summer as the team signed players who would start in the system immediately.
"It was a bit frustrating, but I understood the situation too," Varvaro said. "But to see the team really stick with me meant a lot. I'm just happy to be starting my professional career.
"I'm really excited about being a part of the Mariners organization. The fact that they rewarded me really shows me that they have a lot of faith and are expecting me to do something. I want to show them they were right by sticking with me."
"I'm really happy for Anthony," St. John's Head Coach Ed Blankmeyer said. "This is a kid who was a model student-athlete and he had a little set-back with the injury, but it's great to see the Mariners reward him."
Varvaro is the seventh Red Storm baseball player to sign a professional contract this year.
Red Storm junior All-American pitcher Craig Hansen (Glen Cove, NY) was selected by the defending World Series Champion Boston Red Sox with the 26th pick of the first round, and is currently pitching in Double A for the Portland (ME) SeaDogs.
Varvaro was one of five St. John's players selected in the first day of the draft (June 8). Other St. John's players selected in the first day of the draft included Hansen, junior center fielder Greg Thomson (Levittown, NY) was selected by the Arizona Diamondbacks with the first pick of the 15th round (the 441st overall), senior shortstop P.J. Antoniato (Levittown, NY) was taken by the Philadelphia Phillies with the 16th pick of the 15th round (the 457th overall) and senior catcher Joe Burke (Brooklyn, NY) was selected by the New York Yankees with the 16th pick of the 18th round (the 559th pick overall). Sophomore pitcher Anthony Sullivan (Arlington, MA) was the last player drafted, taken in the 19th round by the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. Senior Jim Wladyka (Rutherford, NJ) was signed to a free agent contract by the New York Mets a week after the draft was recently named the Pitcher of the Year by the Kingsport (TN) Mets.
Varvaro, who was named the league's pitcher of the week three times this season, was one of the best starters in the country, carrying a 9-3 record with a 2.32 earned run average and 115 strikeouts in 85.1 innings pitched. The right-hander led the BIG EAST in strikeouts and ranked sixth in the country in strikeouts per nine innings. His 115 punchouts rank third all-time for a single season at St. John's and he had 249 in his career, which ranked third all-time. He was named a third-team Louisville Slugger All-American.
Varvaro is slated to report to the team's training facilities in Peoria, AZ for Fall Instructional League, which starts in mid-September. He is scheduled to begin throwing again in mid-October.