Tuesday was an exciting day as a bevy of talented pitchers threw bullpen sessions in Hauppauge at the brand new LI Field House.
The most notable name was former big leaguer Matt Harvey, who came down to prepare for the World Baseball Classic, which will take place in early March 8 and Harvey will participate for Team Italy.
Matt Harvey getting a bullpen in @LIFieldHouseNY pic.twitter.com/czM55W93Ps
— Axcess Baseball LI (@axcessbaseball) February 21, 2023
Two other pitchers with local connections will participate on Team Italy as well – Stephen Woods (Hills East 2013) and Nick Fanti (Hauppauge 2015).
Woods, an 8th round pick by the San Francisco Giants in 2016 out of SUNY Albany, is currently a free agent but has reached as high as Triple-A. He was also traded for Evan Longoria in 2017. He has pitched parts of five seasons in the minors. His fastball topped at 92.6 but he’s been in the high 90s before.
Fanti, the Carl Yastrzemski Award winner in 2015, actually competed in the WBC back in 2017 for Team Italy. I had a chance to speak with him and he said:
“It’s an honor to represent Team Italy in the WBC on the world stage and compete against the best baseball players in the world. That in itself is really exciting to me. It’s much more than just joining a team, it’s representing my heritage and a beautiful culture as well. The fact that I get to do it for a second time is amazing and it feel like there’s unfinished business because our team was a few outs away from advancing but we fell short. Being able to pitch against big leaguers from Puerto Rico was a great experience for me and pithing in front of a crowd for the first time was amazing. If I never get the opportunity to pitch in the big leagues, I can live with it knowing that I got to take in the World Baseball Classic experience at least twice. Another great memory was our team’s walk-off against Mexico in Game 1 in Mexico.”
Fanti was drafted by the Philadelphia Phillies in the 2015 MLB Draft. He got off to an incredibly quick start and compiled a record of 20-6 with a 2.93 ERA through 2018. Injuries have sidelined him for a number of years, and he hasn’t appeared in an affiliated pro game since mid 2018. With his showing yesterday, it would be surprising if he did not find himself back in affiliated ball.
Wow free agent LHP Nick Fanti (Hauppauge 2015) was up to 96.8 MPH in his pen today pic.twitter.com/ky7yqVIarJ
— Axcess Baseball LI (@axcessbaseball) February 21, 2023
The catcher for these talented pitchers was St. Dominic junior Thomas Garrett. He had the following to say about his experience:
“Over the past five weeks I’ve had the opportunity to get to know Matt Harvey, Nick Fanti and Stephen Woods. To say I learned some things is an understatement. Each week, I have watched them prepare everyday for an opportunity to play in the World Baseball Classic and in the MLB this spring.
To have the opportunity to catch each one of them and Johnnie LaRossa and Luke Hansen is something I will never forget.
For the past six months I’ve been working with my coaches Matt Reistetter and Cam Maron to prepare not only for this moment but for my high school season and playing in college one day.
I have always had a great ethic; talking and watching these professionals has pushed me to a new level.”
