Mariano Rivera's son, Mariano Jr., named MAAC's Pitcher of the Year

The son of legendary Yankees closer Mariano Rivera has earned himself some hardware, as Iona College's Mariano Rivera Jr. won Pitcher of the Year honors for the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference.

When your father is the greatest reliever of all time, it can be pretty tough to live up to his pitching legacy. But Mariano Rivera's son, Mariano Jr. is showing that he is no slacker.

On Tuesday, Rivera, who is a starter for Iona College, was named the 2015 Pitcher of the Year for the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference. Rivera struck out 113 batters in 85 innings over 14 starts and posted a 2.65 ERA in his junior season, throwing six complete games, recording three shutouts, and going 5–7 for the Gaels. Iona finished the season 20–33, going 11–13 in the MAAC.

MLB.com reports that Mariano Jr. could be taken as early as the fifth round in this June's MLB draft, with the possibility of making it to a major league team. Rivera was drafted by the Yankees in the 29th round of the 2014 draft, but chose to return to school instead of following in his father's pinstriped footsteps.

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- Erick Fernandez