Since 1955, Tri-Village Little League in Greenlawn has been the birthplace where many Big League dreams have spawned. Tri-Village has been one of the finest Little League programs on Long Island and the District 34 (Western Suffolk) champs several times over the last 53 years. For the past 5 decades, there have been only 2 players that have gone on to play professional baseball, one being a Greenlawn native named Rob Steinert.
Born and raised in the Town of Huntington (resides there to this day), Rob Steinert began his journey to professional baseball in 1977 in the first inaugural “Pee Wee” game ever played. The Pee Wee program was founded by his father, William Steinert, and has since been adopted by the nationally recognized Williamsport Little League Foundation. Starting at an early age, Rob was always the best player and he wanted to do nothing more than compete with the older kids,” says William Steinert.
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| Rob Steinert in Florida with former Met prospect Nick Abel and current Mets starting pitcher Jon Niese. |
Over the next 6 years Mr. Steinert’s All-Star team compiled an impressive record of 77-1, including a District 34 Championship and New York State Moose Lodge Championship in 1983. “Rob lived and breathed baseball as a young boy in Greenlawn, and is an integral part of the fabric of the Greenlawn community,” says John Phelan, longtime friend and former board member in the late 1970’s and early 80’s at Tri- Village LL, “When Rob was eight he wanted to play against the 11 and 12 year old kids. The funny thing is he could actually compete with them and was better than most of them”.
Rob Steinert attended James Boyd Elementary School and proceeded to John Glenn Middle School in Elwood before he transferred to St. Anthony’s High School in 1985 to further pursue his dreams. As a four year varsity starter on the baseball team at St. Anthony’s High School, Rob’s numbers were more than impressive. In his senior season, Rob compiled an 8-1 record while amassing a miniscule 0.43 ERA on the mound while batting a robust .464. As a result, he was unanimously voted the 1989 Catholic League MVP. “Rob was a stand-out High School athlete, most people know him as a very good baseball player, but he was also a star on our basketball team. As a student, he was always determined and focused and he worked harder than most teen-agers. Rob was always respectful and presented himself as a gentleman. “I’ve known Rob since he was 13 years old, he went to Le Moyne College out of HS, transferred to N.C. State and then played with the Toronto Blue Jays, but in the off-season he always came around to see me and to this day I am still close friends with Rob and Mr. Steinert,” says Don Buckley- Athletic Director to the #1 sports program in NY State as cited by Sports Illustrated for the past three years.
It was at St. Anthony’s that Rob Steinert crossed paths with his eventual mentor and current St. Anthony’s principal Brother Gary Cregan. It was Brother Cregan who saw the immense potential in Rob, which allowed Rob to achieve success down the road both on and off the field. “Rob had an extraordinary drive for success and perfection,” says Brother Cregan. “Rob knows how much St. Anthony’s has done for him with his development and he feels an obligation to do the same for others. What Rob is doing is exactly what I did for him. A principal always wants good men to be around young boys and Rob is a good man. From my perspective, that is even more important than baseball.”
Upon graduating St. Anthony’s in 1989, Rob Steinert was accepted at Le Moyne College in Syracuse, New York. Due to the fact that Rob was a bit undersized and physically undeveloped (5'10 and a mere 155 lbs.) coming out of St. Anthony's High School, Rob barely made the team as a walk-on freshman. His coach, Dick Rockwell, described him as a “batting practice pitcher” for the next two seasons prior to his unexpected and seemingly impossible transfer to a national power in the south.
Rob quickly took matters into his own hands. In the spring of 1991, Rob spent countless hours developing his body in the gym and rest of his time was spent running the streets of Greenlawn. In the spring of 1992, Rob and his father made a videotape of Rob pitching at a local batting cage so that he could send out the footage to other prospective schools. Upon sending his videotape to several schools in the south, Ray Tanner Head Baseball Coach of the North Carolina State University (Raleigh, NC), offered Rob a scholarship to play baseball for the national powerhouse Wolfpack. Rob accepted the offer, and quickly made a name for himself by compiling a 6-2 record and solidifying a rotation that won the 1992 Atlantic Coast Conference Championship.
Later that summer, Rob was drafted by the Florida Marlins in their first ever Amateur Player Draft but declined the offer and instead accepted an offer to play for the Cotuit Kettlers in the prestigious Cape Cod Summer Baseball League. The Cape Cod Baseball League is where the most coveted and top national amateur prospects convene to compete in front of professional baseball scouts and Scouting Directors from all thirty Major League teams. After a successful campaign that summer Rob returned to North Carolina State University in the fall for his junior season and went 8-2 for the #2 nationally ranked Wolfpack. It was later that June when Rob was drafted by the Toronto Blue Jays and signed his first professional contract. He went on the play that summer in the New York Penn League in St. Catherine’s, Canada.
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| Rob Steinert with Nationals top prospect and sixth round draft pick Jack McGeary. |
“I saw Rob pitch as a kid back when he was 14 (at St. Anthony’s and for the renowned national summer organization Bayside Yankees), and also was able to have the privilege of seeing him pitch at N.C. State as well. I have a great relationship with Rob to this day and nobody that I’ve seen can teach pitching like Rob,” says Neil Summers—Toronto Blue Jays scout who signed Rob, and a special assignment scout for the Cincinnati Reds and Toronto Blue Jays for over 32 years including 4 World Series rings.
Rob’s success in the Blue Jays System over the next four years (1994: 8-4, 3.58 ERA, 141 strikeouts in 120 innings) ultimately resulted in him being drafted in the annual Rule V Player Draft by the New York Mets. After one season with the Mets Organization, Rob was acquired by the Milwaukee Brewers. In 1997, after a season with the Brewers, Rob began his search for mechanical help and guidance for his delivery in his own career. In doing this he then looked into what the future had in store for him and what his life would be after baseball.
It was then in October of 1997 that Rob Steinert opened “Spring Training Baseball Academy” in Deer Park, New York. In that small 3,000 square foot building with three cages, Rob began developing his business into one of the top training facilities in the country. Alongside him was his staff including: Rob Zachman (Director of hitting at CGI and former Professional player with the Seattle Mariners), Rob Wilcox (Spring Training Baseball and Softball Summer Camp Director and Head Freshman Baseball Coach at St. Anthony's HS) and his current partner at CGI, Shingo Mitsumori (CSCS/NSCA Strength Conditioning coach).
In 2003, Rob Steinert and Spring Training Baseball and Softball Academy opened its first ever Town of Huntington Baseball and Softball Summer Camps at various town Little League Complex sites (Tri Village LL-Greenlawn, Otsego park- HHHLL, Cedar Rd- Commack North LL, Wicks Rd. Park- Commack South LL, St. Hugh’s and St. Elizabeth’s S. Huntington and Larkfield LL-John Walsh Park). After tremendous success in his first year, his summer camp enrollment proceeded to increase by 420% compared to previous vendors. “The summer camp has enrolled into a well known and respected summertime activity for families of the Town of Huntington”, says Town of Huntington Parks and Recreation Director Don McKay.
In February of 2008, Rob had the opportunity to move his business to the Town of Huntington. The new facility, CGI “Complete Game Institute” located in East Northport across from Home Depot on Larkfield Road (powered by Spring Training), has expanded to 5 lesson tunnels, 4 batting machines two spacious birthday party rooms as well an impressive state of the art Fitness Center. The 3,000 square foot fitness center includes a 16-piece Cardio Deck and an extensive gym, which is equipped with the latest Life Fitness machines. CSCS Certified Shingo Mitsumori is the head trainer here, where he performs personal and team training sessions. Each session incorporates sport-specific, multi-directional training methods that help increase speed, agility, balance and overall explosiveness, which supports and improves on field performance. Rob Steinert has personally produced some of the best pitchers to come out of Long Island in the last three decades. Rob Steinert has had over 126 players receive division one scholarships as well as having 26 players signing professional contracts. Rob’s philosophy and attention to detail makes him one of the most respected pitching instructors in the country.
Since 1997, Rob Steinert has been at the core of amateur baseball in the Town of Huntington area as well as all of Long Island. Recently, that focus has expanded dramatically when he was hired as a pitching consultant for a few highly regarded Baseball Agencies who service some of the most widely known players and prospects in baseball today. Robs services include development and maintenance as well as advising on player development and talent procurement to enable each player to reach their full potential.
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| Rob down in Richmond, Virginia giving a pitching seminar. |
Most recently, Rob has joined forces with a new company “D1draftable.com” with a client from Virginia. His partner, his associate Jeff Roberts (father of client Will Roberts, freshman pitcher at Univ. of Virginia and drafted by the California Angels in the 2008 player draft), takes Rob to specific locations along the East Coast and allows Rob to conduct baseball seminars in front of over 200 parents and players. These players include some of the top high school baseball prospects in the nation whose goals are to develop into college and then professional prospects.
Rob is now in his second year as Director of Baseball Operation of St. Anthony’s High School. He has dedicated his time to help make St. Anthony’s HS, the top baseball program in New York State in the coming years. Rob Steinert states, “It is with great pride and excitement that I accept this invitation to come back to the St. Anthony’s community and help give back to the school that changed my life. I am extremely humbled to return to my roots as a student-athlete here at St. Anthony’s HS, and have the opportunity to help guide the baseball program in the coming years, as well as help redesign the brand new baseball stadium on the same campus that I began my own career on some twenty years ago. I will utilize my experience and knowledge that I have been fortunate enough to accumulate in my professional career”.
“I am very enthusiastic about the direction our baseball program is headed thanks to Rob Steinert, Mr. Don Buckley and Mr. Jon LaRochester, our Varsity Head Coach and his staff. The new baseball field will provide another terrific venue for our student athletes and for the community,” says Don Corrao (Director of Development at St. Anthony’s High School, who also orchestrated and oversaw the state of the art and recently completed 175,000 sq. ft. two level Student Center on the campus of St. Anthony’s HS in South Huntington).
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| Rob Steinert at the first annual 2009 St. Anthony's baseball combine. |
2009 was been a busy year for Rob and his organization. Rob Steinert successfully directed the first ever baseball combine held at the brand new St. Anthony’s stadium. The turn-out was un-precedent and the feedback was there to match. 2010 will mark the second annual combine also adding a second week to help accommodate the demand of players all over the Island ranging from ages 11-15.
Rob also was able to start his own summer league program. In 2010 the CGI Braves will be competing in the highly competitive boys of summer league and will have four teams (14 U, 15 U White, 15 U Blue and 16 U) comprised of players from various schools all over the tri-state area. “I knew that it was finally time to start teams of our own. We have a philosophy in place along with dedicated players that should have us playing the game right. I can’t tell you how excited I am to watch each team and player grow through a strict curriculum and an intense environment.”
Since 1955, there have been many players that have come through the Tri-Village Little League Program with Big League dreams, and for one of those players, Greenlawn native Rob Steinert, it has come full circle, back to the same Tri-Village fields. A love for the game of baseball that began here some 30 years ago in the Pee Wee Little League. Rob continues to give his time and knowledge back to the baseball community each and every-day and we are proud to have him! |
