Bryan Verbitsky has a claim for the best high school career on Long Island of this century. He was a two-time Diamond Award recipient – given annually to the top player in Nassau County. He led Island Trees to a County Championship in 2007 over Clarke.
He ended his career with his name all over the record books at Island Trees – finishing first in home runs (30), hits (136), ABs (319), runs (129), second in SBs (45) and fourth in ERA (1.90). Simply put, he had one of the finest careers a high school player can have. Additionally, and this is something that often gets forgotten – he did so when the conference was talent-based, meaning he performed exceptionally against the best players in the county.
“There were no gimme wins in the league,” said Verbitsky.
Many people that played baseball during that era will tell you that Verbitsky was the best player that they’ve ever faced.
The Early Days
Verbitsky was born and raised in Levittown, NY. His father, Troy, was a detective for the NYPD in the 79th precinct. Following his retirement, Troy became a personal trainer and he also coached Bryan’s little league teams.
Bryan was a die-hard Mets fan and he noted that the family always made a point to get to at least one game per year. His favorite player was Mike Piazza, and he remembers watching his home run in the aftermath of 9/11 as one of his formative memories of watching baseball.
Baseball was not his only love as Bryan also played football and basketball from the time he was 5-years-old and played until high school when his focus shifted to baseball.
Levittown is a baseball powerhouse with three high schools all known for their prowess. That combination made for a dominant Little League team. Troy was the coach and their team won the district championship against North Bellmore to send them to the regional in Delaware.
“That was all my childhood friends. I remember getting down to Delaware and teams being like ‘who the heck is this team?’ Why dad coached and we would have four hour practices on Saturdays. He would just tell the parents to drop off their kids and we would have a blast.
Island Trees
Verbitsky played on a travel team called the LI Whalers during his 9th grade year but transitioned to the Long Island Titans during the fall after he and his dad had met with them and they determined it was the best course of action.
That team was loaded as they also had 1B Jon McGibbon, RHP Frankie Vanderka, CF Kenny Jackson, Infielder Tom Tolan Anthony Brunetti, among others. Verbitsky noted that Jackson is one of his best friends to this day.
During that time, he also took pitching lessons with John Byrne and hitting lessons with Tom Caputo.
Bryan mentioned that he was a bat boy for Island Trees when he was a kid and watched them win the County Championship on a team that was led by Diamond Award winner Greg Thomson.
“Thomson was the guy that we all strived to be,” he said. Little did he know, he would later break some of those school records.
Verbitsky was called up to varsity as a 9th grader, and that was the year Island Trees put it all together and captured the Nassau County Class A Championship over Clarke at Hofstra University. Verbitsky was a DH, because he remembers not being able to throw strikes.
“I was just a freshman when we won the Counties but the guys really brought me in and all treated me good. I felt like one of them. It showed me I could handle myself.”
They ultimately lost to Islip in the Long Island Championship, but it was a banner year for them nonetheless and it was just the beginning for Verbitsky.
He wound up being the closer in his sophomore year. He credits coach Joe D’Auria for his improvements on the mound.
“I remember my dad saying ‘you’re gonna have him pitch? He can’t even throw strikes!” Verbitsky noted that his mentality on the mound was to throw it through the glove as hard as I could. “It sounds crazy but just stop thinking and go do it.”
Whatever it was, it clicked and Verbitsky turned himself into one of the best pitchers in the country within a few years.
During his junior and senior years, he became THE best player in Nassau County. He took home the Diamond Award both years and he was getting plenty of recognition from big time schools.
In regards to his college recruiting process, he called it a “whirlwind”.
“Playing for the Titans that summer, we played in a lot of tournaments and showcases. We went to Slugfest in New Jersey, which was considered one of the best at that time. I did really well and colleges started contacting me. There were some big schools. I did a visit with Penn State. Pat Anderson was the coach of Hofstra at the time and he reached out, we did a visit, I liked him, I liked the school and it was nice to know it was just down the turnpike. I wanted my family and friends to be able to come watch me play. It turned out to be the best decision I could’ve made. My parents went to all the home games. They went to all the away games too, but that was just who they were. My friends got to see me. Hofstra was just a great time. But it’s such a tough decision. It could really decide your whole career. Ultimately, I wanted to play right away and not be stuck behind other guys.”
The Next Level
Verbitsky stepped in right away and was an outfielder and closer as a freshman. As a sophomore, he was primarily used as a DH and closer. That summer was the tipping point of his career, as he participated in the prestigious Cape Cod League. He was a member of the Yarmouth-Dennis Red Sox. He struck out 35 batters over 21.2 innings, saved 4 games and was named to the All-Star team.
The scouts were drawn to his velocity. He credits his pitching coach, Dan Keller, with helping him improve his game. He was big on Jaeger bands and long tossing.
“Long tossing as long as you possibly could throw,” he said.
One funny memory he had was facing future big leaguer Kyle Schwarber that summer and giving up a long home run to him.
That summer, Verbitsky noted that he curtailed his hitting and focused strictly on pitching knowing that if he was going to play at the next level it would be on the mound.
He saw a massive increase in his velocity and by the spring was sitting in the mid 90s with his heater. He had the best season of his career, compiling a 2.66 ERA over 44 innings with 51 strikeouts.
“There was a bunch of scouts at every game and it was pretty nerve wracking. It was crazy because I was just a kid from Levittown, but I just told myself you just gotta focus on what you’re doing.”
The success garnered plenty of attention and he found himself in position to get drafted in the 2013 MLB Draft.
He attended a pre-draft workout at Turner Field, home of the Atlanta Braves, where he performed well and hit 98 MPH on the radar gun.
Going into draft day, he didn’t really know what to expect. Early on day 2, he was pacing around his house when his agent called him. He said that the San Diego Padres were ready to select him in the 3rd round and they wanted to know if he was willing to sign.
“I told him ‘hell yes I want to sign, I’ve wanted to play professional baseball all my life.’
Verbitsky heard his name on the MLB Network as he was selected with the Padres’ third round pick. He remembers the draft panel discussing, but not really knowing much about him, while a few B roll footage played on the screen of some of his strikeouts.
The family had a get-together at the house to celebrate. At the time, Verbitsky felt that he was going to eventually be in the big leagues.
The reality of the minor leagues is a lot less glamorous and much more tedious than what many people believe.
His first stop was in Eugene, OR in the Northwest League. He pitched 49.1 innings while compiling a 4.56 ERA. Command was an issue as he walked 38 batters.
In 2014, he had three stops – back in Eugene, OR; Fort Wayne, In and Lake Elsinore of the California League. He had gotten off to a great start in the Northwest League (27 innings, 1.67 ERA) and got promoted before he struggled a bit at the next levels.
He had his best season in 2015, pitching to a 3.52 ERA over 64.0 innings. He struck out 71 batters and his command was improved. Just when things were looking up, that’s when the injuries started.
In 2016, he was throwing his first bullpen session. He recalls being almost finished when he said, ‘alright two more’. On the next pitch, he felt a pop in his shoulder. I told my trainer, ‘ I just blew my arm out’ and he looks at me and say ‘what do you mean?’
He went to the doctor and was diagnosed with a torn labrum but opted to go with rehab as opposed to surgery. He threw three innings before the pain was too great to bear.
“My arm was toast.”
He went for the surgery, but he says that the surgery didn’t hold and he needed to go for a corrective surgery with Dr. David Altchek of the Hospital for Special Surgery. He had 8 anchors placed in his shoulder.
After he started his throwing program, lightning struck again. Verbitsky remembers feeling the same pain that he did during his bullpen session. This time, it was a torn labrum and torn bicep. He had his third labrum surgery and this time it took 15 anchors to keep in place.
“At this point I was 25 or 26 years old and I just came to grips with the fact that it was the end.”
Life After Baseball
Verbitsky always had a backup plan of following in his father’s footsteps of being a cop but never knew when the time would come that he would get the inspiration to. At the urging of his father, he did take the NYPD test in 2013.
“At the time I was thinking I was going to play 12 years in the big leagues,” he said. While that did not come to fruition, he did get a break when he got an email to begin the process of joining the academy. Although 5 years had passed since he took the test, his test was still “active” allowing him to start the process without re-taking the exam.
In 2018, he fully decided to do it and in April 2019, he was hired in the 106th precinct. At first, he was a patrol officer before moving into public safety. Just over a year ago, he transitioned into becoming a Field Intelligence Officer, or an FIO as it’s referred to. According to their website, “the primary responsibility is to collect, compile, analyze and disseminate intelligence information related to criminal activity and other jurisdictions that may adversely affect the city.”
While his has certainly enjoyed his career, he did face another hardship as his father passed away suddenly in 2021 following a routine shoulder surgery.
Staying Involved in the Game
Verbitsky noted that when his career ended he “was bitter towards the game”, but he did lessons for a bit at Long Island Baseball in Bellmore.
“It was tough because my identity was always ‘Bryan the baseball player’. The end of my career wasn’t the fairy tale ended I thought it would be. I still can’t throw to this day. If you gave me a ball and made me go to the mound, I wouldn’t be able to reach first base. I play in a men’s softball league with my friends and I play outfield and I throw it back to the infield underhand like Cespedes used to do.”
In regards to his alma mater, Verbitsky noted that every once in a while he will go to a game and stand in the outfield trying to be incognito just to keep an eye on the program.
Regardless of whether he ever shows face at games, Bryan Verbitsky will forever be in the record books at Island Trees HS. No other player has been able to match his success on the field, his ability to win games and his career following his high school days.
Simply put, Bryan Verbitsky is on the short list of the greatest high school players in Long Island history.
