Player Name: Mike Jeannetti
School: Dowling
Position: RHP
Mike is a pitcher without the typical build of a pitcher. He is generously listed at 5’10” 185 lbs. It does not matter because he uses every bit of his frame to generate power.
He starts all the way from the third base side of the rubber. He steps back very minimally and towards first base as he prepares for the legkick. He keeps his eyes locked on the target the entire time. His leg kick is not very high, but it is balanced and he keeps his back leg bent to generate power. Jeannetti throws from a low 3/4 arm angle with near-max effort, which allows him to have a sharp slider when the release point is on. He finishes balanced and aimed at home plate.
He recorded the nine-out save on March 11 against New Haven. He was mainly 82-83 MPH. In his first inning he allowed a single on a bouncer up the middle. The next batter poked a well-struck fly ball to left field but it hung up for a routine flyout. The next batter blooped a single to left field. He settled down to strike out a right-handed batter on a slow curve on the outside corner. He induced a lazy groundball to third for the final out. In the next inning, he struck out a righty on a well-executed fastball on the outside corner. The next batter hit a broken-bat single over third base. He allowed an infield single to the 5.5 hole. He just missed striking him out on the previous pitch–a fastball just off the corner. He avoided damage and injury when the next batter ripped one back at him, but he snagged it and fired to second base to complete the double play. It was a huge game-changing play. In the ninth, he had a quick 1-2-3 inning on a groundball to third, another to shortstop and a flyball to CF.
Jeannetti has a real bulldog mentality. He attacked everyone, primarily with his two-seam fastball that was freezing right-handed batters. The curve was in the dirt at times, but it’s better to miss low than high. He spotted it when he needed to. Despite the lack of a blazing fastball, he will be crucial for the Golden Lions in the late innings because of the strike-throwing ability.
