Another Day, Another Berlin Player Drafted By MLB

Mark Bordonaro was always a little small for his age but now he's the BMOC, Big Man On Campus. He and his 95-mile an hour fastball were drafted by the Seattle Mariners in the 25th round out of Fairfield University in the 2012 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft this afternoon.

The son of Donna and Dave Bordonaro found out first from a text message from his mother as he drove to the Cape. He is scheduled to play for the Chatham A's in the Cape League this summer but that all could change.

"I was driving up here and my phone blew up with text messages," said the right-hander. "I got a message from my mom that I was picked by the Seattle Mariners which is a bit of a surprise because they didn’t really talk to me. I think I was the first one to text Matt (Carasiti) when he got drafted and he was one of the first to text me. I'm proud of him because to get drafted that high is awesome."

Bordonaro is not sure exactly what will happen next.

"I think they thought I'd be in Berlin and not at the Cape," he said. "We'll meet within the next few days to see what happens. I have told teams that I wanted a certain amount of money to sign and not go back to college and Seattle was good with that and that's why they picked me. I'm not sure if they are going to want me to pitch at the Cape for the summer or sign right way and go to their minor league team. My dream has always been to play professionally but there is a slight chance I would go back to school and finish up and get my degree. It's just a slight chance though."

Bordonaro, a right-handed pitcher, just completed his junior season for the Stags. Bordonaro made 22 appearances for the Stags in 2012, posting a 5-4 record. He struck out 31 batters in 42.2 innings of work and yielded a 5.70 ERA.
 
“We're very happy for Mark,” Fairfield University Head Coach Bill Currier said. “He's a very talented player that would be a great asset to any professional organization. As he continues to grow and develop, he will only get better.”
 
In just three seasons as a Stag, Bordonaro has put his mark on the Fairfield record books. He is currently second all-time in career appearances with 65 and second all-time in saves with 12. 

"I thought being able to pitch at the Cape was the peak of my career but that changed now," Bordonaro said. "There was one game when we played Stony Brook and there were about 30 scouts there to see their best player (first round pick Travis Jankowski - San Diego Padres). I pitched and got some good velocity numbers getting it up to the mid 90's and since that day I have gotten calls every day from scouts. Everyone talks about UConn but Stony Brook was the best team we played and it has shown because they are still playing in a Super Regional."

While Bordonaro couldn't be happier, he said someone else close to him is having a little trouble with the pick.

"I think my mom was crying when it was the Seattle Mariners that picked me," he said with a laugh. "All of their minor league teams are out on the west coast and obviously Seattle is pretty far away and spring training is in Arizona. I think she was hoping for a team closer to home."

(Some information from Fairfield University sports Information)