Player Name: Greg Marino
School: Centereach
Position: 1b/P
Greg stands at an imposing 6’7″ and is a 2015 graduate of Centereach High School. He has committed to play for Stony Brook University in the Fall. He is a two-way player, but on this particular day he was playing first base and batting fifth. He is a terrific student and comes from a tightly-knit family, so his intangibles and make up grade off the charts. His brother is a professional player, so the genes are there.
Offensively: He bats with a slightly crouched stance, slightly opened. His back elbow is up and he waves the bat. He has quick hands, but a long swing that could be more direct.
In the April 15 game, he went 1-for-3. In his first at bat, he smacked a single through the 5.5 hole. It was an elevated 73 MPH fastball and he jumped on it. In his next at bat, he was certainly looking for another fastball, and he got it. This time, it was well located on the outside corner and he swung through it for strike three. On the previous pitch, he held up on a curveball in the dirt. Many high school players would bite at the bite. He was enticed but was able to hold back at the last millisecond. In his third at bat, he came up with a man on third and one out. He knew it took just a ground ball to get the run home. He took a fastball on the outer half and hit it to second base. It was a good swing, but he got it well towards the end of the bat for a routine grounder.
Defensively: He wasn’t tested on any ground balls but he did have to handle many throws from the infielders. He has good foot work around the bag and handled several low throws in the dirt, especially from the pitcher on pickoff attempts.
Base Running: He is not especially fleet of foot, and he was gunned down on an attempted steal. It appeared to be a hit-and-run as he looked back halfway. The catcher had a cannon, and he was toast by a good 10 feet. He has very long strides but not a base stealing threat.
