Years ago, kids grew up playing all sports. Even if they favored baseball, they would play soccer in the fall to build their endurance and play basketball in the winter to maintain their side-to-side agility.
Those times have changed. Everything is about specializing your skills and perfecting your craft. The youngest flock of Major League superstars grew up in the era of specialized, year-round training.
The classic Bryce Harper story is that after his epic 12-for-12 performance in a double header as a 12-year-old–in which he hit 11 home runs–he got off the plane, came home and went straight to the batting cage.
You can’t teach that type of determination but, if you have it, you can certainly utilize the resources available to make yourself the best player around.
Michael Palazzolo, Half Hollow Hills East’s junior shortstop, fits this mold. Long Island’s top shortstop prospect admits he enjoys playing basketball but since the age of five, baseball has been his sole focus. That type of focus, and a relentless work ethic enabled him to commit to Stony Brook University has a sophomore in high school.
While many players have hitting coaches, Palazzolo has a different expert for his hitting, fielding and weight training.
“My coaches through the years have been instrumental. I have been a Titan since I have been 11 years old. Tom Downey, Jim Clarke and Chris Sipp from the Titans organization have been instrumental in my training. Tom has been by trainer and mentor and is extremely important to me. Jim Clarke has provided guidance and Chris Sipp as my summer coach has had a tremendous influence in my fielding. Coach Belz, my high school coach is also very important. He believes in me and gave me the opportunity to be the starting shortstop as a freshman on the Varsity team. Being out on the field every day, and with his guidance has made me a better player.
Palazzolo was a highly touted prospect by the time he entered high school and was on the radar of many of the local coaches, but initially he had his sights set on leaving the island.
He noted that he went to out-of-state camps hoping to get spotted by the big-time programs but ultimately decided that was not the best fit.
“Why should I go away when there is such a good program here in my backyard?” he said. “I want to help represent the talent from Long Island and hope that more talent remains here,” he added.
From a selfish stand point, I’m hoping many of the top players feel the same–which would only further elevate the quality of play on Long Island.
In some ways, that is the reason people’s perception of baseball went south. Many of the top players began to go out-of-state, leaving the local teams with a less appealing crop of players.
The trend we are seeing is that the elite players are beginning to decide to stay home. This could be a product of increasing out-of-state tuition or simply a case of the local programs making more of a concerted effort to lock up their top targets.
For example, of the top 12 players from the 2015 graduating class (based on Blue Chip Prospects rankings) , six chose to stay on Long Island.
For the time being, Palazzolo will focus on his final two years of high school ball with Half Hollow Hills East.
He will be expected to carry some more of the load this season with the graduation of 13 seniors from the 2015 crew. He is confident that Coach Belz “will rebuild the team with incoming talent”.
They finished 2015 with a 15-8 record, having their season cut short by the Suffolk County AA champion Connetquot HS.
The upcoming season promises to be another strong season for the Thunderbirds of Hills East.
When you have players like Matt Hogan, Patch Dooley and Palazzolo, teams tend to be competitive. When you have players that have the work ethic of Bryce Harper, teams tend to win county championships.
