No matter where Rob Kaminsky is drafted next Thursday, no matter which team selects him, no matter if he decides to sign with that team or enroll at the University of North Carolina, he will have the most unusual background among the more than 1,200 players who will be selected in this year’s draft.
Actually, he almost certainly has the most unusual background of all of the thousands of players who have been picked in the 49-year history of the draft.
Kaminsky, a left-handed pitcher from Englewood Cliffs, N.J., attended a Jewish day school through eighth grade and then he went to a Catholic high school.
Other Jewish kids go to Catholic schools for sports, but it’s not very likely that any of them have begun their education in Jewish day schools. And it is highly unlikely that any player taken in previous drafts or who will be, selected next week can match Kaminsky’s resume.
Kaminsky was recently named the Gatorade New Jersey player of the year for the second successive year. With 9 victories, including 7 shutouts, in 9 starts, a 0.17 earned run average and 116 strikeouts in 54 innings, he is generally projected to be a late-first round pick in the June 6 draft.
Having committed to the University of North Carolina, Kaminsky will have to decide by July 15 between college and the minor leagues.
“U.N.C. is the clear choice of college,” Alan Kaminsky, Rob’s father, said in a telephone interview Tuesday, “but he’s keeping all options open. We’ll have to see what happens in the draft.”
The Kaminskys have not dwelled on the draft in recent weeks, figuring they will know the outcome soon enough.
“I try not to pay attention to the mock drafts,” said the elder Kaminsky, a New York lawyer. “There’s too much stuff out there.”
The pitcher has apparently not spent much of his time thinking about the draft either.
“Robert’s focus is on helping his team win the county and state championships,” his father said.
This will not be the first critical decision the Kaminskys will have to make.
Parents of three children – Joseph, Anna and Robert – Alan and Donna first decided to send them all to the Solomon Schechter Jewish Day School of Bergen County in New Milford, N.J.
“We were living in New Milford at the time,” Kaminsky related, “and Solomon Schechter was opening a new facility in our town. We were members of the New Milford Jewish Center. Solomon Schechter offered a perfect opportunity. Robert and his siblings are graduates of Solomon Schechter.”
But how did Part II of this unusual educational equation follow Part I? “I’m sure a lot of people ask the same question,” Kaminsky said.
When Rob graduated from Solomon Schechter in 2009, he looked at his options for high school.
“Baseball was a strong consideration,” his father said, “but we wanted a school with good academics and a school that taught the same values as Solomon Schechter.”
Kaminsky’s decision came down to St. Joseph Regional and Don Bosco, the latter particularly known for its sports success.
“At the time Bosco was clearly the dominant baseball school,” Alan Kaminsky recalled. “I remember Robert saying, ‘Dad, I want to play for the team that beats Bosco.’ We couldn’t have picked a better school. I have found they provide the same close- knit family as Solomon Schechter. They’ve instilled a lot of good attributes in their students.”
His four years at St. Joe’s have been terrific for his son’s pitching development, Kaminsky said, but have not altered his son’s religious beliefs. “Robert maintains a very strong Jewish commitment,” he said.
“It certainly is something I never could have imagined,” the elder Kaminsky added. “I’m super proud of my son. He’s made all the decisions.”
Solomon Schechter has not forgotten its noted alumnus despite his matriculation at St. Joe’s. “Congrats to Rob Kaminsky (SSDS ’09) for pitching a no-hitter against Don Bosco yesterday!” said a note in the school’s on-line alumni newsletter.
Conor Cassidy is, like Kaminsky, a left-handed pitcher who is a Jewish student attending a Catholic school (Don Bosco).
“He’s a left-handed pitcher who throws 96, has two great off-speed pitches and throws strikes,” Cassidy said. “There’s not much else you can ask for. He throws a harder curve and a slower curve. I would say he has probably one of the better curves in New Jersey. His fastball makes it even harder to hit his curve. If they can touch his fast ball, they feel blessed.”
If Kaminsky has any negative factors working against him in the view of scouts, it’s his height. He is listed as 6 feet tall, which is considered small for a pitcher these days, but a person close to Kaminsky says he’s really a shade under 6 feet.
As far as his St. Joseph’s coach is concerned, Kaminsky’s stature is more important and more impressive than his size.
“I’ve been doing this for 39 years and he’s the best I’ve seen in the high school level,” Frank Salvano said. “As great a player he is, he’s a better person. If you came in to our locker room, you wouldn’t know who he is. He’s like everybody else.”
Kaminsky is not expected to be the first high school pitcher to be chosen in the draft. Three or more among Kohl Stewart, Trey Ball, Ian Clarkin, Hunter Harvey, Phil Bickford and Hunter Green could be selected before Kaminsky.
According to the commissioner’s office, in the past 10 years, 5 high school pitchers who were chosen in the first round did not sign but instead went to college and were selected in subsequent drafts. This is what has become of them:
2008 – RHP Gerrit Cole from Orange Lutheran HS in Santa Ana, Calif., was 28th overall pick in first round by the Yankees…went to UCLA and was the top overall choice in the 2011 draft by the Pirates…is now pitching for AAA Indianapolis (3-3, 3.67 e.r.a.)
2009 – LHP Matthew Purke from Klein HS in Spring, Tex., was 14th overall in first round by Rangers…went to Texas Christian University instead and selected in third round (96th overall) of 2011 draft by Nationals after two years at TCU…had shoulder problems in 2012 season.
2010 – RHP Karsten Whitson from Chipley HS in Chipley, Fla., was selected with 9th overall pick in first round by Padres…did not sign after reportedly being offered more than $2 million…went to the University of Florida…missed the 2013 college season after a shoulder procedure.
RHP Dylan Covey from Marantha HS in Pasadena, Calif., was selected with 14th overall pick in first round by Brewers…did not sign, which happened after he discovered he had Type 1 diabetes…now attends the University of San Diego.
2011 –RHP Tyler Beede from Lawrence Academy (HS) in Massachusetts, 21st overall by the Blue Jays…went to Vanderbilt instead.
The results are mixed, and Kaminsky will have to base his decision on what he wants to do. Money certainly will play a role in that decision. Signing bonuses for first-round choices run from about $7.8 million for the first pick to about $1.65 million for the last pick in the first round.
Rob’s brother is a high school teacher; his sister plans to attend law school. No one is giving them million-dollar bonuses, but based on what everybody has said about him, the pitcher may not let a mere million dollars make his decision for him.
He could let his blazing fastball and his tantalizing curveball do his talking for him at North Carolina.
As good a high school pitcher as Kaminsky has been, teams will base their decisions on him on what they think he can do in the future. If they think he’s too small to develop into a dominant major league pitcher, they will shy away from him. If they see him as a potential Gio Gonzalez, the 6-foot Washington pitcher, they will put him on their list.
He could be on the list of the Yankees, who have three of the last eight picks in the first round.
Meanwhile, Kaminsky has executed a double play that is unique.
“It’s worked out great,” Salvano said. “His parents have been tremendous. That’s why Rob is the person he is. They put their trust in me with a Jewish kid in a Catholic high school.”