Denville's Reilly drafted by Angels
Former Morris Knolls pitcher was a standout at Pace University
BY JOE HOFMANN
DAILY RECORD
Morris Knolls graduate Matt Reilly had a lot of Major League teams scout him when he pitched for Pace University this past spring. But by Wednesday afternoon, the right-handed pitcher had grown tired of waiting to see if he would be drafted, so he stopped watching the Major League's First-Year Player Draft on the internet.
"I said, 'I can't watch this anymore,'"Reilly said.
So he made himself a bowl of ice cream and headed into the living room. By about 2:30, something even sweeter came into his life.
The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim chose Reilly in the 27th round. "We had the speaker on loud, so you could hear it all throughout the house," Reilly said.
Reilly's father, Ken, went "nuts,"according to Matt. His mother and brother called home. So did Morris Knolls coach Adam Bonfiglio. A short time later, Angels scout Dan Lynch called the Reilly home in Denville, making it official.
'I didn't know what to say," Reilly said. "I always wanted to go to the Major Leagues. I know I'm not going yet, but you can't go unless you're drafted. As a kid, you always look forward to something like this. I look back on how long I've been playing and it is all very humbling."
Reilly's reaction to being chosen is one of the reasons why Lynch sought after him. "Us choosing Matt is a culmination of things," Lynch said.
"We looked at Matt's character and makeup, which are two things we liked about him. We looked for consistencies in his past. I got to know him. His coaches speak highly of him. He loves baseball. You want a quality kid like that."
And of course, the 6-1, 194-pound Reilly can throw a baseball exceptionally well. He throws a fastball in the 90-02 MPH range with good movement, a good slider and a changeup. He also has command in the strike zone and is poised when things get tough. The Angels like his calmness under fire and see him working out of the bullpen.
"Pitching four years in college will do that," Reilly said. "I have matured since high school."
"I am super proud of him," Bonfiglio said. "I am proud to have the opportunity to have worked with someone so dedicated to the game. He had a tremendous work ethic in high school and it carried over into college and it paid off. What is that saying? Good things happen to those who work hard?
Well, he worked hard and he deserves this. He is a tremendous, tremendous kid and obviously a good ballplayer."
The Angels weren't the only big-league team to have interest in Reilly.
While he was a senior at Knolls, he had workouts with the Orioles, Indians, and White Sox and the latter two remained in touch. Reilly thought he'd be chosen by either of those two. The Padres were another team keeping in close contact.
He had a solid junior year at Pace, going 6-2 with a 1.57 ERA and hitters batted just .220 against him in 57 1/3 innings. This past year, he was 6-4 with a 2.43 ERA and 60 strikeouts in 77 2/3 innings.
Reilly worked out for scouts in the fall and winter and said about 10 teams scouted him throughout the season. Last week, he pitched to hitters at Fenway Park with Theo Epstein on hand.
"You just pitch the way you know how," he said. "In one aspect, I was calm and collected. But in another aspect, I was thinking, 'Holy Cow, all these guys are here. I can't mess up.'"
Reilly will report to Tempe, Arizona for a rookie mini-camp. Then he believes he might be headed off to rookie ball in Orem, Utah.
"It doesn't matter which team I go to," he said, "as long as I
get an opportunity."