Former Milwaukee Brewers farmhand and Commack native Charles Galiano will be bringing back his Seven Tool Catching Clinic this off-season, after a wildly successful first year.
“It’s a product I was extremely proud of,” said the 2012 graduate of Commack and two-time MLB Draftee. “The kids learned a ton, we had a blast and there was great camaraderie between the catchers and the trainers,” he added.
The clinic will begin on December 2 and conclude on March 3 for a span 12 weeks. Players will receive baseline test numbers on the first day and track their progression.
The clinic is for players grades 3-12. The younger group (grades 3-5, 6-8) will be at Team B.E.A.S.T. facility in Commack while the high school players will be at All Pro Academy in Bellport.
The players can expect a “high-energy” and “high-intensity” atmosphere, according to Galiano. He described it as the “furthest thing from a classroom-type feel”, noting there will be music blasting during the clinics.
This year there will also be some exciting additions from last year.
Most notably, there will be a professional pitcher’s day which will feature nine pro arms throwing bullpens to the high school catchers. It will essentially be a graduate-level course in catching those who have competed at the highest level.
“That will be their receiving station for the day,” Galiano stated, bright eyed.
Among those pitchers will feature some familiar names:
Mike Belfiore (Commack 2006) – Baltimore Orioles
Alex Katz (Herricks 2012) – Baltimore Orioles
Anthony Kay (Ward Melville 2013) – New York Mets
Nick Fanti (Hauppauge 2015) – Philadelphia Phillies
Greg Weissert (Bay Shore 2013) – New York Yankees
Matt Vogel (Pat-Med 2013) – Tampa Bay Rays
Jonathon Mulford (Massapequa 2012) – St. Louis Cardinals
Additionally, they will have a Scout Day, which will be an interactive experience with not only coaches from Division-II, Division-III and JuCo levels but also local professional scouts. This is during a time called “Quiet Period” with Division-I coaches so they will not be permitted to attend the event. This will give the catchers an opportunity to engage with the coaches asking questions, picking their brains, etc.
Like last year, there will be an “Umpire Day”, where they will learn from an 11-year veteran of the ECUA. This will serve as an opportunity for catchers to learn everything there is to know about the all-important catcher-umpire relationship.
Galiano expressed that he could not understate the importance of this.
“I think it’s something that’s undervalued,” he said. “If you want to catch at a high-level it is crucial to understand,” he stated in regards to respecting the umpire.
There will be a long list of catching instructors this year, including Matt Reistetter, a six-year minor league veteran that enjoyed one of the most productive seasons in Hauppauge HS program history as well as Hofstra University.
Other instructors will include Brandon Colluccio and Alex Murphy (Baltimore Orioles), Kevin Martir (Milwaukee Brewers/Houston Astros), Billy Reidel (Oneonta), Chris Russo (Iona), Rob Fiato (NYIT) among others.
Despite the fact that the clinic ends in March, Galiano noted that anyone that attends becomes family. He attended several of the attendees games during the spring and summer to monitor how they transitioned their offseason work into the season. The results were significant, he stated that 94% of attendees improved their pop times.
In regards to why catchers should attend off-season clinics, he stated that “catching is a craft. It’s a constantly evolving art, you are finding new ways to be more efficient, perfect various different skills between receiving/blocking/throwing.”
If you would like to register, you can do so by clicking here.
