There is never a shortage of high-end arms on Long Island. 2018 was no exception, but there were two college arms that stood above the rest. Typically, we have three finalists but adding a third would be a disservice to these two.
John Rooney (Hofstra) : 8-2, 1.23 ERA, 3 CG, 95.0 IP, 51 H, 108 K, .166 AVG
Rooney skyrocketed his value after a strong showing in the Cape Cod League during the summer of 2017. He continued that momentum and never looked back. The 6’5″ 225 lb southpaw was lights-out from day 1 of the season, not allowing a run until his fourth outing of the season. In his third outing, he fired the first six innings of a combined no-hitter and put himself on the national radar. During his March outing against UNC-Wilmington, I was in attendance and watched him silence once of the most powerful lineups in the nation. He also had the unique talent of picking off runners at will. He never pitched less than 6 innings, or allowed more than four runs in an outing. Eight of his outings were scoreless. He led Hofstra to the postseason for the first time since 2012. He capped off a tremendous season by getting selected in the third round by the Los Angeles Dodgers. All he did in pro ball was fire 20 innings with a 1.80 ERA with a 1.10 WHIP.
James Varela (LIU Post) : 11-1, 2.40 ERA, 7 CG, 3 shutouts, 101.1 IP, 69 H, 116 K, .185 AVG
Varela is a work-horse not often seen in this era. He answered the bell to become the anchor of the staff after the departure of Jake DeCarli. Following a 5-inning outing in the first outing of the season, Varela went on a tear. Over his next eight outings, he went no less than 7 innings–including five consecutive complete games. One outing was a 10-inning masterpiece against Queens College with 10 strikeouts. I watched his outing on March 10 against Franklin Pierce in Cary, NC and he was phenomenal. He fired a 4-hit, CG shutout against a nationally-ranked opponent with 12 strikeouts. He did not fade throughout the season, either. He finished his season with a CG shutout against Molloy in the ECC playoffs. His dominance dates back to his high school days at Division, where he gained a reputation for being unflappable in big moments. He is draft eligible in 2019, and certainly has a chance to hear his name called.
