Baseball bags big name pitcher

John Yurkow has only been head coach of the varsity baseball team for a few weeks, but that hasn’t stopped him from already snagging a Connecticut recruit with some impressive baseball bloodlines: Bradley Wilpon.

The news was first blogged about by Penn alum and current New York ESPNNewYork.com writer Adam Rubin and confirmed by well-known scouting service Perfect Game USA.

Bradley, a right-handed pitcher out of Brunswick School in Greenwich, Conn., is the son of Mets chief operating officer Jeff Wilpon and grandson of the Mets’ principal owner, Fred Wilpon.

He has been used both as a starter and closer, compiling a 3-2 record with a 2.60 ERA and one save in his junior campaign, according to Maxpreps.com. He struck out 35 batters in 35.0 innings pitched.

The 2015 commit burst onto the Connecticut baseball scene as a freshman, tossing a no-hitter with seven strikeouts in his first-ever varsity start.

He has played for the varsity team in all three of his high school years thus far, pitching to a 2.90 ERA with six wins and four saves.

He will have one year left to bulk up and hone his skills before joining a Penn pitching staff that ranked fifth in the Ivy League with a 4.36 ERA and sixth in strikeouts.

The pick-up of Wilpon was an impressive one for coach Yurkow, as the Wilpons have a family legacy at Michigan University.

The Wolverines have had the opportunity to play the Mets in a spring training game at the Mets facility in Port St. Lucie, Fla., as well as playing a nonconference game versus Seton Hall at the Mets’ own Citi Field.

Though Bradley will undoubtedly bring great exposure to Penn with his pedigree, don’t sleep on him as a player, either. He has a live arm and impressive off-speed pitches that could make him an integral part of the future success of the Red and Blue.

Please note All comments are eligible for publication in The Daily Pennsylvanian.