Tampa Bay Rays Press Release
Tampa, Fla. – As both the major league and minor league baseball regular seasons are almost finished, organizations are handing out their end of year awards. One team that handed them out this past weekend was the Tampa Bay Rays. Among Tampa Bay's minor league awards, former Fordham Rams pitcher
Joseph Serrapica was named the Minor League Reliever of the Year for his work with the Hudson Valley Renegades.
Serrapica, 22, did not allow a run in 22.1 innings with Short-A Hudson Valley en route to Reliever of the Year honors. Drafted in the 24
th round this past June, he converted all eight of his save opportunities and ranked tied for fifth among Rays minor leaguers in saves. Serrapica recorded 28 strikeouts for an 11.3 SO/9 IP, which ranked 11th among Rays farmhands (min. 20 IP). He was also named to the New York Penn League All-Star Game.
Prior to being drafted, Serrapica served primarily a starting pitcher for the Rams in 2016, making 14 starts of his 18 appearances. He tied for the team-lead in wins with five, while having a team-high 84.0 innings pitched and 92 strikeouts, all of which were career-highs. His 92 strikeouts ranked as the sixth-best single season total in Fordham history. Serrapica posted a 3.54 ERA with one complete game and one save and held opponents to a .247 batting average. He was impressive in conference play, registering a 4-1 record and a save with a 2.63 ERA and 48 strikeouts in 41.0 innings pitched while limiting conference batters hit just .234 on the season.
Over his Fordham career, Serrapica amassed eight career wins with five saves. He moved into a tie for 15th on Fordham's all-time strikeout list with 164.
Video Courtesy of the Tampa Bay Rays/MLB.com
