St. John's University Athletics
Rob Delaney Signs Free Agent Deal With Minnesota Twins
6/15/2006 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
Red Storm pitcher Rob Delaney signed a free agent deal to play in the Minnesota Twins organization on Thursday. The 6-foot-3 right-hander agreed to terms with the Twins, becoming the first St. John's player of 2006 and eighth in the last two seasons to begin a professional baseball career.
Delaney is boarding a plane to Fort Myers, Fla., tonight and is expected to begin play with the Rookie-level Gulf Coast League Twins shortly after.
"I'm really thankful for this opportunity and am excited to get started," Delaney said. "I'm fortunate to have gotten a lot of help from Coach Blankmeyer, and I'm happy to get a chance to pursue my dream."
Delaney helped lead the Red Storm pitching staff to the sixth-lowest earned run average in the nation (3.21) and was one of the BIG EAST Conference's top pitchers in league play. The junior finished second in the conference with a 2.42 ERA and seventh with 51 strikeouts, while allowing three earned runs or fewer in eight of his nine BIG EAST starts.
A strong start by Delaney against South Florida in the 2006 BIG EAST Championship helped keep St. John's season alive and sparked a run of three straight tournament wins. Against the Bulls, Delaney allowed eight hits and four runs and struck out three batters over six innings. For the season, Delaney fanned 78 batters in a career-high 75.1 innings and ranked among the BIG EAST and NCAA strikeouts leaders for much of the season.
"Rob's been a BIG EAST starter for the last two seasons," said head coach Ed Blankmeyer. "He's ready for an opportunity like this, and it is coming at the right time."
Despite the signing of seven St. John's players to professional contracts after a record-breaking 2005 season, the youthful Red Storm won 40 games for a second consecutive season in 2006. Delaney, sophomore Matt Tosoni and freshman Scott Barnes comprised an entirely new BIG EAST weekend rotation, and freshman Rich Armento (five saves) led a successful effort to replace All-American closer Craig Hansen.