Spring Training is generally filled with mindless fielding practice and a lot of downtime for pitchers when they are not in a game.
That’s when players joke around or discuss their innermost thoughts.
Tryouts for 2017 will be on Jan. 15 at MacArthur HS at 2pm!
It was in this setting in February of this year when Anthony Varvaro and Rick Porcello were in the outfield talking about their post-baseball career plans.
“It would be pretty cool to sit in front of the Holland Tunnel and collect money from people,” joked the now reigning AL Cy Young Winner.
Both players shared a laugh–but little did Porcello know what his buddy was actually planning.
Varvaro, who had six years of Major League experience at that point was a criminal justice major at St. John’s University and had aspirations of going into law enforcement.
“I had the opportunity to go into the Port Authority Police Academy and it was an opportunity I couldn’t pass up,” said the Staten Island native.
Being that the Port Authority does not offer the option to defer acceptance into its academy, the pitcher who owned a 3.23 ERA through 166 appearances was about to go where not many professional athletes have gone before.
Turning down the money and fame of professional baseball to start a new career in which he would have to start from scratch.
A daunting task to say the least.
Varvaro credits his parents who instilled a blue-collar work ethic into him.
“They did everything they could despite a middle-class income,” he said. Both his parents were teenagers when they gave birth to Anthony’s older brother.
Growing up on Staten Island, it was apparent that athletics would offer a way to higher education. Fortunately, they both had the prerequisite talent necessary.
His older brother received an athletic scholarship to play football at Southern Connecticut in New Haven, CT. Anthony was more advanced as a baseball player and was named to Staten Island Advance’s prestigious All-Staten Island team three times.
Still, Anthony was unconvinced that his prep success would equate to a career in professional baseball career.
Those feelings of trepidation were put to rest when Coach Ed Blankmeyer named him a conference starter as a freshman and made his first outing at Big East rival Georgetown.
“That was a huge confidence boost,” he said. “After that I knew I belonged.”
He went on to dominate during his career and was ultimately named to the All-Big East and All-American team.
For his accomplishments, the Seattle Mariners selected him in the fifth round of the 2005 MLB Draft.
After climbing up the ranks in their system, he finally got the call on September 24, 2010 after his Triple-A team won the Pacific Coast League championship.
“The Mariners were so bad that year that the General Manager (Jack Zduriencik) didn’t want to hurt the Triple-A team that was doing so well by calling players up” he said.
After the game, Zduriencik approached him from behind and tapped him on my shoulder.
“I knew what was going on so I wasn’t so surprised, I was thinking ‘am I getting called up or what?”
He did not pitch in his first game with the big league club, but he did pitch in the next series in Tampa Bay with roughly 25 of his family and friends.
Mike Trout photographed for BodyArmor sports drink by Monte Isom
Proving he belonged, he struck out Sean Rodriguez and Matt Joyce in succession before a walk and a fielder’s choice allowed him to complete his debut unscathed.
He performed well in that rookie year aside from allowing a three-run shot to Nelson Cruz that skewed his numbers.
Varvaro was traded to Atlanta the next year where he really began to flourish.
Pitching in a loaded bullpen that included the historic trio of Eric O’Flaherty, Johnny Venters and Craig Kimbrel in 2011, he quietly pitched to a 2.63 ERA with 23 strikeouts in 24 innings.
That was the year that the Braves relinquished an eight-game lead in September which resulted in not only a roster shakeup but also key injuries to O’Flaherty and Venters. Their departures allowed him to step into a larger role the next few years.
It all came together in 2013 when he put up a 2.82 ERA over 73.1 IP.
“When someone believes in you, why not believe in yourself?” he said.
He followed that up with a 2.63 ERA over 54.2 IP in 2014.
Unfortunately, that was the end of his time in Atlanta. After GM Frank Wren was fired and then hired by Boston, he traded for Varvaro to pitch in the Boston bullpen.
“It felt like an upgrade,” he said. “The AL East is considered the best division in baseball,” he said.
He suffered an injury, though, and his roster spot was no longer guaranteed as it had been the past few years.
It was in Spring Training in 2016 that he had that conversation with Porcello which made him realize he did not want to toil around in the minor leagues but to pursue his career in law enforcement.
He noted that he does not enjoy children looking up to him as a hero on the baseball field because he is “just a guy with a talent.”
It is appropriate now, however, to say that he is more than simply a guy with a talent.
Follow us on Twitter @BaseballLI !
