Greg Weissert was born and raised in Bay Shore and graduated from Bay Shore High School in 2013. Weissert went to Fordham University in the Bronx and was drafted in June 2016 by the New York Yankees. Weissert was called up to the Major Leagues last August and earned his first career win against the Los Angeles Angels and made his home debut in the Bronx on Labor Day, picking up another victory against the Minnesota Twins.

Weissert completed his 2022 season with the Yankees with a 3-0 record, striking out 11 batters in 11.1 innings in 12 games pitched, and made the ALCS roster against the Houston Astros. Weissert is currently at spring training in Tampa Bay, ready for his sophomore season in pinstripes. 

QUESTION AND ANSWER

Islip Bulletin: How’s spring training going down in Tampa? How’s the team looking at camp?

Greg Weissert: So far, it’s going really well. Everybody’s in high spirits and ready to get to work, you know. Everybody’s getting along and stuff and it seems like there’s a really good rhythm in the clubhouse, so it’s fun to be here.

IB: In the 2016 MLB draft you were in the same draft class as Anthony Kay from Ward Melville and Stephen Ridings from Huntington, who went to St. Anthony’s. Talk about how that was to have three Long Island pitchers drafted the same year. I would imagine you played either as their teammate or their opponent at some point growing up? 

Weissert: I didn’t actually play against them in high school. I knew of Anthony Kay because he was really good in high school. He was one of the top guys coming out of Long Island, where we generally don’t have a lot of baseball talent, so he was a big name all around, so I knew of them but I didn’t know them personally. I don’t think I ever played against them either, but I definitely knew the names.

IB: You graduated from Bay Shore High School in 2013, then attended Fordham, and in June 2016 you were drafted by the New York Yankees. Talk about your reaction about being drafted by the local team, let alone from the same borough as your university.

Weissert: Yeah, it was amazing! It was kind of a whirlwind experience because Thursday the draft goes by really quickly and I had my whole family there, and we didn’t know what was going to happen. But we were kind of praying, hoping something would. I would’ve really been taken by anybody, but to be taken by the Yankees is so cool. I went to a ton of Yankees games when I was in college. All my buddies are Yankees fans. The Fordham football team played a game at Yankee Stadium, so I remember going to that. I was sitting in the bleachers watching that game, so I have a lot of memories there. Even though I was a Mets fan growing up, when I was in college, we definitely made a point to go out to some of the games, so [it is] a really cool experience getting drafted by the Yankees. It’s awesome, even though I was a Mets fan growing up; it’s still a hometown team and to go to school in the Bronx is even cooler. I got to stay in the Bronx.

IB: In the Minor Leagues, you were teammates with Nestor Cortes, Domingo German, Jonathan Loáisiga, second baseman Gleyber Torres, your batterymate Kyle Higashioka, and top prospect Oswaldo Cabrera. Now you’re reunited with all of them with the New York Yankees. Talk about learning and growing with them to now all being Major Leaguers.

Weissert: I only played with Higashioka, Loáisiga, and Gleyber, maybe on rehab assignments. I can speak to Oswaldo for sure. That guy is like my brother. We came up basically at every level together, and it’s really cool watching him progress and get better every single year and finally make that jump last year. It was really, really cool to watch. The locker room was so excited when he got called up. He was so happy and I was so happy for him and proud of him. He’s a few years younger than me, but it was really, really cool to watch him get so much better and progress the way he did.

IB:  Last summer, in your home debut on Labor Day, you earned the win against the Twins. You’re wearing the pinstripes. You’re on the mound at “The House that George Built.” You can see the white facade, the retired numbers in Monument Park. Can you put into words how enthralling that was that right then and there, your childhood dream came true, you’re in “The Show?”

Weissert: There really are no words for it. It’s overwhelming at times, and you’re just trying to slow everything down and make sure you execute pitches and stuff like that and make sure you’re doing what you can to help the team win, but afterwards it was nice to go home by myself that night and look back on it and be like, wow! That just happened! I just pitched in Yankee Stadium after going to all those games there. I definitely thought back on it and kind of reflected on that.