With the Yankees signing right-handed reliever Adam Ottavino, who grew up a Yankees fan, one could only imagine how big this is for the New York native.
Last week the Yankees signed Adam Ottavino to a three-year, $27 million contract. The move has been heralded by fans and pundits alike. Ottavino brings a solid state line from 2018, a season in which he actually crafted a new two-seamer to complement his incredibly nasty slider. The results were staggering.
75 G, 77.2 IP, 41 H, 21 ER, 2.43 ERA, 2.74 FIP, 0.991 WHIP, 112 K, 13.0 K/9, 36 BB, 4.2 BB/9
While some are worried about Ottavinos walk rate, his k-rate and nearly unhittable stuff should outweigh his potential for wildness. Perhaps the most intriguing aspect of the Ottavino signing, however, is that he is a lifelong Yankees fan and now he has the opportunity to pitch for his favorite team.
The Babe
Ottavino’s offseason started off with a bang when he claimed he could strike out Babe Ruth “every time.”
Adam Ottavino: 'I would strike Babe Ruth out every time.' https://t.co/ApZIiV7V9S pic.twitter.com/CaF8dFKNTk
— theScore (@theScore) December 10, 2018
Ottavino caught a lot of heat for this comment, but he does have some pretty nasty stuff.
Heck of a free agent advertising campaign for Adam Ottavino, huh? "Better than Babe Ruth"
— Cespedes Family BBQ (@CespedesBBQ) December 12, 2018
Babe Ruth could probably strike out Ottavino too. Just saying
— David Cone (@dcone36) December 11, 2018
This won’t be the last time we hear from Coney…
It seems as though everyone has been talking about Ottavino’s Brooklyn connection for years. Ottavino is a Brooklyn native, who still resides in Brooklyn during the offseason. His mom is a school teacher in the PS system as well.
Ottavino’s hometown pride shown through even though he was playing for the Rockies.
#OneWordFor2 from Brooklyn-born Adam Ottavino who grew up a #Yankees fan.#FarewellCaptain pic.twitter.com/qGUPumo1C1
— Colorado Rockies (@Rockies) September 25, 2014
At Rockies game.. Rare at-bat for reliever Adam Ottavino, whose walk-up song is No Sleep Til Brooklyn
— Benjamin Hochman (@hochman) May 9, 2013
After David Robertson signed with the Phillies, it seemed like a foregone conclusion that Ottavino would sign with New York, and finally, the day came in January. A Yankees fan had become a Yankees pitcher.
Adam Ottavino said today the Bronx Bombers were one of the first teams to reach out to him during free agency. Of playing in New York, the Brooklyn native said: "It was something that I didn't really think would happen in my career … (this is) a dream come true, for sure."
— Coley Harvey (@ColeyHarvey) January 25, 2019
Quickly, the long-time connection to his favorite team began surfacing all over social media.
Adam Ottavino at age 9 with his mother Eve at Yankee Stadium in 1994 or 1995 pic.twitter.com/MsnaC34eD6
— Mr. Wolf 🐾 🐺⚾ (@BigBadWolf_1) January 28, 2019
Ottavino helped fuel the fire a bit…
I love this Adam Ottavino fella already. pic.twitter.com/4SDO3e6x9i
— Evan Daniel (@mrevandaniel) January 19, 2019
Adam Ottavino posted this photo on Instagram tonight: pic.twitter.com/Esq1W5dP9s
— Lindsey Adler (@lindseyadler) January 28, 2019
Man I loved that sweater
— David Cone (@dcone36) January 28, 2019
Now that Ottavino actually is a Yankee he’s sort of walking back that claim he made about Babe Ruth.
About that Babe Ruth comment…@MadDogUnleashed chats with new @Yankees reliever Adam Ottavino on #HighHeat. pic.twitter.com/VdDG6p88bI
— MLB Network (@MLBNetwork) January 28, 2019
But maybe he shouldn’t…
Adam Ottavino vs Babe Ruth. pic.twitter.com/qAVIK92nZt
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) December 11, 2018