Schools
Former FDU Hurler Flannery Rising in Yankees System
Local collegiate product now making his mark in minors.
TRENTON -- Ryan Flannery's hectic Wednesday morning included a 2 1/2-hour early morning flight from Tampa, Fla, then a trek along his beloved New Jersey Turnpike to Trenton's Waterfront
The traffic inside the park was already bad when he took the mound for his Double-A debut. The Richmond Flying Squirrels had scored seven runs and batted around when the alum relieved Brad Halsey.
Pitching for the Thunder on a 96-degree afternoon, Flannery allowed a single, then recorded the final out of the inning. He returned to work a scoreless seventh frame, the only one of Trenton's four pitchers who didn't allow a run in a wild 13-12 win.
The New Jersey native, who grew up in Carlstadt and went to Becton Regional High School in East Rutherford, wouldn't have it any other way.
"I liked it," said Flannery, who grew up 15 minutes away from Yankee Stadium. "We got the win, so it was a good day overall for the team. I felt good. Hopefully, I can keep doing what I just did."
Flannery has done plenty since being plucked in the 47th round of the 2008 draft by the Yankees, his favorite team, and has already advanced further than any player from the Madison school. Only one other alum, catcher Steve Ferrente in 1993, spent time with an affiliated minor-league team.
The FDU record holder with 223 career strikeouts, Flannery came a long way to put himself on the radar. He threw in the mid-80s as a 210-pound freshman, and saw that velocity increase to the mid-90s by the time he was a senior.
While scouts noticed the velocity, they also noticed Flannery's girth, and lack of other pitches.
"He was a pro prospect, but maybe scouts were nervous becauses he was a Division III kid, was a little out of shape and didn't have much of a breaking ball," FDU head coach Andy Paulus said. "But I always told them that he can do things that only major-leaguers can do."
More than velocity, control has been Flannery's greatest asset on his trek from Exit 18W to Yankees prospect. The burly right-hander has walked just 30 batters in 189-1/3 minor-league innings, with 173 strikeouts.
The Yankees wanted to see more development in his secondary offerings, so they temporarily moved him to long relief in 2010 to force him to rely on other pitches. He posted a 1.30 ERA in 34-2/3 innings with Single-A Tampa, prompting a promotion to Trenton.
"I used my slider and splitter to set up my fastball more, so [hitters] couldn't just wait for a fastball," he said, who earned Team MVP honors in his junior and senior years at FDU. "I have a lot more confidence in my off-speed stuff now, in any count."
His first year with the Gulf Coast Yankees, in 2008, produced an 0.86 ERA in 21 innings. More success followed in 2009 with Rookie League Staten Island, and he blossomed with High-A Charleston, S.C. and Tampa last season, combining to strike out 76 batters in 83-2/3 innings with the two teams. He allowed just 63 hits and 14 walks.
Continued dominance with Tampa through 34-2/3 innings this year forced a new challenge.
"You have to keep climbing up the ladder until you make your ultimate goal," he said. "I'm happy with where I'm at."
Flannery may as well been speaking geographically, as the central N.J. location is ideal for the kid who grew up 15 minutes from Yankee Stadium and would attend "10 to 15 games a year as a kid."
Becoming a professional athlete made that tougher, though he managed to secure upper deck tickets to Game 2 of the 2009 World Series.
While Trenton is more than 15 minutes away from the Bronx, it's much closer than Florida.
"It feels great to be back in Jersey," Flannery said. "Driving down the Turnpike and seeing the Jersey license plates was pretty cool. It's always good throwing in front of your family and friends. I've been a Yankee fan my whole life."
