Former Bishop Ahr pitcher drafted by Mets
By Harry Thomas
Columnist
The first time Scott Runkel saw Kevin Mulvey pitch was in the summer of 2001 — before Mulvey’s junior year at Bishop Ahr High School, Edison. What Runkel saw stunned him.
Runkel, the longtime Bishop Ahr baseball coach, had used Mulvey as a shortstop in his sophomore year since the team had more experienced pitchers. But in a summer game, as coach of the Bishop Ahr Junior American Legion team, Runkel wanted to see what kind of pitcher he might have in Mulvey.
“We gave him a chance to be a pitcher and boy, was I shocked,” Runkel said. “The first time I saw him you could see the beautiful natural throwing motion. He did it so effortlessly.”
The Junior Legion game was simply a sampling of what Mulvey would deliver.
Mulvey, a 2003 Bishop Ahr High graduate and native of the Parlin section of Sayreville, was chosen by the New York Mets in the second round of the June 6 Major League Baseball First-Year Draft. He was the 62nd overall pick.
When he came out of high school, Mulvey was drafted in the 34th round by the St. Louis Cardinals, but he wanted to go to college. Mulvey chose Villanova University, Villanova, Pa., where he majored in liberal arts, and became one of the best pitchers in the school’s history.
He started in all 41 games in his three years at Villanova, the most of any Wildcats pitcher over that span. He threw the eighth no-hitter in school history as a sophomore, had eight complete games in his career and pitched 244 innings, holding batters to a .264 batting average. He struck out 222 compared to 96 walks and had a walk-to-strikeout ratio of 51-to-161 over his sophomore and junior years. He was a second-team All Big East selection this past year and was the first of 11 Big East players taken in the draft.
He expects to sign with the Mets, foregoing his fourth year at Villanova.
“I knew I had a chance of getting drafted out of high school, but it was a decision I made with my family that I needed to get an education and to mature physically and mentally,” the 21-year-old Mulvey said.
“With the help of many coaches at Villanova, I think I’m a lot better now. I’m a little bit bigger, stronger and smarter, and throw harder than I did coming out of high school,” Mulvey said.
By the time Mulvey graduated from Bishop Ahr, he had earned All-State honors in both his senior and junior years and was named a High School All-American by Collegiate Baseball in 2003. He struck out 100 and had a 0.88 earned run average his senior year.
“Besides being an all around excellent athlete, he was a versatile pitcher for us,” said Runkel, noting that Mulvey won three letters in basketball. “He had a great fastball and had excellent control. He was able to control an array of different pitches. That’s what made him so unique.”
His control was what attracted scouts, Runkel said.
“You knew he had the ability; he had great arm action,” Runkel said. “He’s a fierce competitor. But I think it was the control of the pitches that caught my attention and the attention of the coaches we played against.”
Runkel said he is reminded of Yankee right hander Mike Mussina when asked to compare Mulvey’s style of pitching.
“He has a good enough fastball,” Runkel said. “But it’s the array of other pitches he can throw and have great control with all of them.”
*The attached/referenced article was originally published in The Catholic Spirit, the official newspaper of the Diocese of Metuchen, and is protected under U.S. and international copyright law