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| Anthony Veneziano signs his Minors deal. (Twitter) |
"When I got back home, I had a chat with the owners about giving back to the community," said Veneziano, who was sporting a Royals cap and T-shirt for the interview as he prepares to leave for Spring Training some time next month.
"The [owners] said they had this new facility, and how they'd like to work together to get kids in here during the winter to work on their skills. I wanted to show them anything is possible, even with a small-town community like this."
Veneziano, 22, a tremendous athlete who was also a 1,000-point scorer and helped lead Warren Hills to a North 2, Group 3 sectional title in basketball, has been very visible this offseason at his alma mater, doing his training and taking time out to speak with young athletes. He recently attended the 62nd annual John Goles Invitational wrestling tournament for the first time, and, as always, was greeted by many well-wishers.
"It's awesome coming from such a small town, and having the support from such a small community really means a lot," he said. "When I do step out on that mound, I know that this whole community, the Streak community, is behind me."
Behind him they are. Veneziano is one of the most likable young men you will come across. He was just that same way on the mound for Warren Hills, albeit a bit smaller in stature when he was the Blue Streaks' ace until graduation in 2016. Over his final three seasons, Veneziano logged 164 strikeouts and posted a 0.74 ERA as a senior.
His success eventually continued at Coastal Carolina, where the fourth-year junior made 21 appearances (14 starts) and went 5-3 with a 4.73 ERA and 85 strikeouts over 78 innings in 2019. It was in college where Veneziano developed into a pro prospect -- both physically and mentally.
"I was 6-5, 165 pounds, and by the end of my freshman year, I was almost up to 190," he said. "I gained about 40 pounds in three years so that was the biggest thing I had an adjustment with was learning how to use my body and work with it to get stronger and faster, and more efficient with my movements, In high school, I was kind of just a guy who threw the ball hard. Once I learned how to hone in that philosophy and command it really made me a better pitcher, and a better player.
"I struggled a lot. I was just kind of a guy who would get everybody 3-2, 2-2, and maybe a walk or a strikeout. But I got to the point where you get ahead early [in the count] and you get to control the at-bat, which makes it a lot easier for myself."
Veneziano, whose father was the only one who taught him how to throw, said the belief that he could make it at the pro level came quickly at Coastal Carolina, which had just won the College World Series prior his arrival on campus.
"My first bullpen at Coastal, they said, 'Dude, you're throwing really hard and you're really good. I was like, 'No, I'm not.' I didn't believe it. Once my coaches were like, you got something special here and could kind of just tell that everyone knew I had potential. It was good, and my coaches were behind me, which is big. I just kept getting better and took everything in.
"After my freshman year, I got invited [to play] in the Cape Cod League. You usually get the invite that sophomore year, but I got it my freshman year. So I kind of knew that I'm a good pitcher, and if I keep working, I can make something out of this."
Several Major League teams, including the Royals, started to take notice. Veneziano said South Carolina area scout Joe Barbera communicated to the front office and told Veneziano how interested they were in selecting him in the Draft.
"Around November or December [2018], teams came in to Coastal and they talked to me one-on-one. I talked to the Royals and I talked to the Dodgers," Veneziano said. "And they kind of just say, 'Hey, we're interested, we like you. We're going to see you this whole season. So then throughout the season, you look in the stands and there's all those teams you just talked to scouting you and taking notes on you. Then, as the Draft approached, I got calls. The Royals called me on Day 2 in the morning and said, 'Hey, have your phone ready. We're excited. We're looking to take you. And the other teams called me as well. I have an agent [Lee Long of the Ballengee Group] as well, so he really helped kind of give me a good idea where I was going to go."
Veneziano wasn't as prepared as he had hoped when that big call came.
"It's the most nerve-wracking thing ever. I did think I was going to go a little higher than I did," he said. "Round 7 or 8, I'm waiting. No call. I actually left. I stopped watching the Draft. My mom and I went to Walmart and started cleaning my apartment because I knew I was going to leave the next day. And then the Royals called me while I was at Walmart. They called me in the ninth round and said they were taking me in the 10th. I was like, 'Let's go. Let's go.'"
The first pro stop was Rookie League Idaho Falls. Veneziano went 3-4 with a 5.59 ERA in 13 games (11 starts) with 44 strikeouts in 46 2/3 innings. Pitching coach Clayton Mortensen also gave him some valuable advice.
"There was one start this summer, I was walking out and I thought, 'I get paid to do this. This is crazy. Good or bad, I'm getting paid.' It kind of takes the pressure of you," he said. "In college, if you don't perform, it's really like now, now, now. It's way more pressure than I felt this summer. When I struggled my first game, I was like, 'Coach, what do we do.' He goes, 'Don't worry about it. You did bad, it's fine, but did you learn from it?' And once I learned from it, I got better. That's the biggest thing about Minor League baseball, I think, is learning from what you're doing. Learning from the experience. Getting different pieces of information and putting it together to find out what you're best at.
"The Royals helped me refine the mechanics, and I struggled for about three weeks. I worked my butt off for three weeks and it paid off. The last month of the season was the best I ever pitched in my life. [The front office] told me they like what they see."
Veneziano, who struggled with command throughout high school and in college, fine-tuned things and even added some pop to his fastball.
"My command was good. They just want my changeup to get better because it's my third pitch," he said. "I can throw it for a strike, but it's not as good as it can be. So they want me to really hone in on that pitch and still bring the heat with the fastball. My slider is my out pitch, so that's the pitch I like the most. This summer, I got up to 95. I'm usually 92, 93, hitting 94 consistently. My slider is anywhere from 86 to 89. So that's almost more like a cutter at times."
Veneziano is eager to get started the Royals' spring facility in Surprise, Ariz., and said he expects to be assigned to the Class A Lexington Legends to start the upcoming season. But for now, he's happy to have a found a home away from home.
"That's the quality with the Royals is how welcomed I felt when I got there," Veneziano said. "It's very overwhelming going from here to there to Arizona and you got to train, and these guys really let me feel like part of the family. They didn't pressure you, they didn't make you feel overwhelmed so that was very important. I'm ready to get to work."
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