Five MLB prospects with Long Island ties selected on Day 2 of draft

Excitement. Happiness. And a sense of relief.

Malverne native Joe Ariola was feeling each after his professional baseball dreams became a reality Monday afternoon.

The Arizona Diamondbacks selected the Wake Forest lefthanded pitcher with the 213th overall pick in the seventh round of the MLB Draft. Ariola, 21, graduated from Chaminade in 2022.

“It's really hard to put into words what this feeling is,” Ariola said. “You dream about it since you played Little League on the 60-foot diamond, and it's just a dream come true just to have an opportunity.”

The 6-2, 190-pound Ariola is still unsure whether he will sign with Arizona and forgo his senior year at Wake Forest, but he said that “there's a pretty good chance” he will make the jump to the pros. The 213th pick has a $274,100 slot value.

From a competitive standpoint, it is not hard to see how he has gotten to this point.

“I'm trying to absolutely eviscerate you,” he said of his pitching mindset. “I don't want you to have a chance. I want you to not want to play after a game of facing me.”

Ariola appeared in 21 games with two starts for Wake Forest this spring, posting a 5.11 ERA with 40 strikeouts and 28 walks in 24 2/3 innings. He attended last month’s MLB Draft Combine in Arizona and made three starts for the Trenton Thunder (the Yankees’ former Double-A affiliate) in the MLB Draft League this summer, allowing four hits and two earned runs in 7 1/3 innings.

On the MLB.com broadcast, Jim Callis referred to Ariola as an “upside play.”

He underwent Tommy John surgery during the winter of his junior year at Chaminade, completely wiping out his final two high school seasons. He has tossed only 97 1/3 innings over the last three years between college and summer ball.

“There's really no telling what is inside,” Ariola said. “I feel like I don't even know what's next. Because I feel like when I do throw, there sometimes is more in there. But just got to unlock it.”

Seattle selects Macchiarola

Garden City native Danny Macchiarola was at the forefront of Holy Cross’ turnaround this spring.

Now, the righthander will get a chance to represent the Crusaders on the professional level.

In the eighth round at No. 242 overall, the Seattle Mariners chose Macchiarola, who attended Garden City Middle School before going to Xavier High School in Manhattan.

“It was just super exciting,” Macchiarola said. “Just being able to celebrate with my family and friends. All the years of hard work. My Holy Cross friends were here, celebrating with them was awesome. Three years there were awesome.

“Making that dream come true and then being able to have the opportunity to pursue it is just super special.”

Macchiarola, 20, confirmed he will be signing with Seattle. The 242nd pick has a $224,100 slot value. He previously entered the transfer portal and committed to Miami just in case things did not work out in the draft.

He made 16 starts for Holy Cross this past season and helped lead the Crusaders, who finished over .500 for the first time since 2017, to Patriot League regular-season and tournament titles. He went 9-5 with a 3.27 ERA, a 1.174 WHIP and 92 strikeouts in 93 2/3 innings.

Ramnarace to Royals

Randy Ramnarace’s road has been full of ups and downs.

But by Monday evening, the Brentwood native was a professional baseball player.

The Kansas City Royals selected the University of New Haven righthander with the No. 488 overall pick in the 16th round.

“Just keeping the journey, keep staying the course, and just don't forget about what your dreams are,” Ramnarace said. “Just keep going, man, because anything is possible. Anything is possible. Coming from Brentwood, not a lot of people make it to where I am, but it's definitely possible.”

He will forgo his senior year and sign with the Royals.

Ramnarace, 20, went 2-1 with a 2.51 ERA and 45 strikeouts in 32 1/3 innings and 12 games (one start) at the Division II level this spring.

He played for the Bristol Blues of the New England Collegiate Baseball League this summer. His draft buzz took off a few weeks ago at Fenway Park, when he shined in a game against one of the teams from the Cape Cod Baseball League. After, the MLB interest skyrocketed from two teams to about 15.

Ramnarace spent his freshman and sophomore seasons at Brentwood High School before transferring to St. John the Baptist as a junior. He returned to Brentwood for his senior season, wanting to graduate with the people he grew up with.

He said: “I want to show the younger classes in Brentwood – and the older classes – that it is possible if you can put your mind to it, keep your head down and stay focused and trust the process.”

Pirates add HS star, local college standout

Miller Place lefthander Nick Frusco went 593rd overall in the 20th round to the Pittsburgh Pirates.

The 6-4, 208-pound Frusco was a Newsday All-Long Island first-teamer this spring, going 3-0 with 73 strikeouts and a 0.61 ERA in 34 2/3 innings. He allowed only 10 hits, three earned runs and a .088 batting average-against.

Frusco, 18, is committed to Clemson.

In the 11th round, Pittsburgh selected Hofstra infielder Dylan Palmer at No. 323 overall. The 21-year-old Palmer, from West Windsor, New Jersey, slashed .400/.449/.536 with a homer, 13 doubles, seven triples, 32 RBIs and 32 stolen bases this spring.

Teams have until 5 p.m. on July 28th to sign their players.

By Ben Dickson

benjamin.dickson@newsday.com@bendickson__

Ben Dickson joined Newsday’s high school sports staff in 2023 after graduating from Maryland, where he covered several of the Terrapins' teams.