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Joining Cardinals dream come true for Montvale lefty Kaminsky & family
By KEVIN KERNAN
Last Updated: 9:59 AM, June 7, 2013
Posted: 2:24 AM, June 7, 2013
The sign in the kitchen said it all.
“Dream Big.’’
Rob Kaminsky’s dreams came true last night as he was taken with the 28th pick in the first round of the MLB draft by the Cardinals. In the family room of his Englewood Cliffs home, as Bud Selig made the announcement nearly three hours into the draft, cheers erupted and hugs were the play of the day with Kaminsky surrounded by family and close friends.
“Thank God it’s the Cardinals,’’ the 6-foot, 195-pound left-handed pitcher said.
His dad was on the phone with the Kaminsky family advisor Casey Close, saying, “Thank you Casey, our family loves you. Great job. Great organization. This is what we wanted.’’
Proud Uncles Tom and Mike were standing behind Rob as he watched his face fill the TV screen. “That’s a major league player right there,’’ someone shouted.
“Words can’t explain,’’ said Rob, the first Bergen County high school player to be selected in the first round. “They develop pitchers. They move people up fast, to see my family like this makes my day. I can’t wait to get started. This is a big moment for us and just the start of something.’’
The St. Joseph Regional (Montvale, N.J.) star has a scholarship to North Carolina but is hopeful of signing a contract with the Cardinals and moving right into pro ball.
“This is a dream becoming a reality,’’ he said.
For most of the night Rob, 18, sat on a recliner in the corner of the room waiting for his name to be called and when it finally was announced there was jet engine roars of delight in the room.
Asked if he was sweating it out, Kaminsky admitted, “To an extent, but I had an idea from my family advisor that I was going late in the first round, so it was going to be the Yankees or the Cardinals. Thank God it’s the Cardinals because they definitely develop.’’
On the kitchen cabinets are pasted newspaper photos featuring lefties CC Sabathia, Cliff Lee and C.J. Wilson. Each morning Rob could check out pitching motions while getting breakfast.
The Yankees had the 26th selection and chose Notre Dame third baseman Eric Jagielo. There were some groans in the room when that selection was made, but just a few minutes later there was cheering and tears of joy. The Yankees might have picked Kaminsky with their 32nd or 33rd pick. They got a lefty high school pitcher with that 33rd pick, Ian Clarkin, out of California.
About 15 minutes after the selection was made, the family rushed over to a nearby restaurant where a huge party was taking place in Rob’s honor.
Alan Kaminsky, Rob’s dad, said he was thrilled with the pick.
“I grew up watching Bob Gibson, Lou Brock, Curt Flood, and now that my son is going to be a member of the St. Louis organization, it’s beyond words,’’ he said. “I couldn’t be more proud of my son. He deserves this. He’s worked so hard and this is just a moment in my life I can’t even describe.’’
He then looked at that sign in the kitchen and repeated those magic words, “Dream Big.’’
Then it was time for a family picture with Rob, his brother Joseph, sister Anna, his mother Donna and dad. “This is all about family,’’ Rob said again.
Willie Randolph, who was representing the Yankees at the draft, saw Kaminsky pitch and was impressed.
“It’s hard to teach kids command of the curveball at a young age, but to me it seemed he had good command of his breaking stuff,” Randolph said. “He definitely dominated when I saw him.”
The drafting of Kaminsky, combined with the success of fellow New Jersey players Mike Trout and Todd Frazier and Connecticut’s Matt Harvey has raised the profile of players from the Northeast. Kaminsky finished the season 10-0, striking out 126, walking 14 and surrendering one earned run over 64 innings to post a 0.10 ERA.
It was a season and a special night to dream big.
