by Andy Smith
Long Islanders will certainly recognize many of the players in the World Baseball Classic next month. These are the MLB superstars or international sensations. However, a few names may be locally familiar.
Jacob Steinmetz, currently in the Arizona Diamondbacks organization, is a member of the Israel pitching staff. The Woodmere native started seven games in the Arizona Complex League in 2022 after being drafted in the third round (pick 77) of the 2021 MLB Draft. He will play alongside outfielder Joc Pederson (San Francisco Giants) and pitcher Dean Kremer (Baltimore Orioles) under manager Ian Kinsler.
Amazing moment as Long Island native Jacob Steinmetz becomes the first Orthodox Jewish athlete to get selected in the MLB Draft pic.twitter.com/giZgs8GELh
— Axcess Baseball LI (@axcessbaseball) July 12, 2021
Left handed pitcher Alex Katz will also be on the mound for team Israel. From Manhasset, and a graduate of Herricks High School and an alumni of Saint John’s University, had a career best 1.45 WHIP and 3.40 ERA in 2015. Katz then made appearances in Low A Myrtle Beach, High A South Bend and AA Tennessee, the minor league affiliates of the Chicago Cubs. Katz totaled 33.2 innings with the Tennessee Smokies in 2021. Katz was a pick of the Chicago White Sox in 2015, and even had a brief stint with the Long Island ducks in 2019, appearing in 13 games.
A second team in the WBC has three former Long Island stars. Team Italy, under manager and former New York Met and Team Italy member Mike Piazza, has a roster that includes catcher Vito Friscia and pitchers Stephen Woods, and Nick Fanti.
Vito Friscia (Hofstra 2019) hits his first HR of the season for the Jersey Shore Blue Claws pic.twitter.com/6KOTguRwzR
— Axcess Baseball LI (@axcessbaseball) June 2, 2021
Friscia, a Valley Stream alumni, went on to play for the Hofstra Pride. While there, Friscia batted over .300 during his final three seasons as the primary backstop and was considered for the Buster Posey Award in 2019. He hit 25 home runs over his 4 year career. Friscia then got drafted in the 40th round by the Philadelphia Phillies and began making appearances in AAA Lehigh Valley as recently as last season. He has continued to progress through the system and can play catcher, first base and left field.
Right handed pitcher Stephen Woods, from Huntington, New York played college baseball at Albany. Woods was drafted by the San Francisco Giants in 2016, and went on to pitch 110 innings for the Single – A Augusta Greenjackets . Woods was then acquired by the Kansas City Royals. In 2022, Woods recorded a 10.7 K/9 value at AA Northwest Arkansas Naturals.
Nick Fanti in the game for Team Italy ! pic.twitter.com/XwOXsvQYCj
— Axcess Baseball LI (@axcessbaseball) March 12, 2017
Former Hauppauge Eagle Nick Fanti was a 2015 draft pick of the Philadelphia Phillies. Originally from Smithtown, the southpaw posted an excellent 7-0 record in 2016 for the Phillies in the Rookie Gulf Coast League. He also threw a no-hitter for the Lakewood (Jersey Shore) Blue Claws of the South Atlantic League in 2017. This is Fanti’s second time pitching for Italy in the WBC. In 2017, he recorded a scoreless inning in his appearance.
The attention during this special tournament will be heavily focused on the MLB superstars that are taking part in this year’s tournament. However, fans can also root for these local stars whose past successes here on Long Island have given them a special opportunity to represent their respective countries in the 2023 World Baseball Classic.
The tournament kicks off on Tuesday, March 7
