Englewood Cliffs' Rob Kaminsky Selected in 1st Round of MLB Draft

Surrounded by family at The Assembly Steak House, Rob Kaminsky's dream came true. The Englewood Cliffs native was selected in the first round of the 2013 Major League Baseball draft.

The St. Joseph's lefty ace was scooped up by the St. Louis Cardinals with the 28th pick Thursday night.

“I know it must have been anxious for a lot of people watching, but I had an idea,” Kaminsky told The Record. “My advisor had told me that I was probably going to be taken late in the first round, and I was pretty sure it was going to be either the Cardinals or the Yankees [who also had picks at 32 and 33].”

Despite a strong commitment to college power North Carolina, all indications are Kaminsky will be signing with the Cardinals and beginning his pro career this year. MLB has pegged the #28 pick at a slot value of $1.78 million.

Kaminsky, an unabashed Yankee fan, was the second prep left-hander taken Thursday following the Red Sox selection of hurler Trey Ball at #7.

A dominating-but-undersized pitcher out of St. Joseph's in Montvale, Kaminsky displays strong command of a fastball that touches 94 mph. He couples the heater with one of the best curveballs in the class, known for its sharp bite. Kamisnky's arsenal also features a fairly developed changeup for a prepster.

The Cardinals are known to have one of the best player-development systems in baseball, consistently churning out pitchers.

On the back of Kaminsky, St. Joseph's went 29-2 before falling to Seton Hall Prep in the state sectional final.

While the Yankees passed on Kaminsky at pick #26, it didn't ignore Bergen County altogether. With the 164th pick in the 5th round, the Bombers scooped up towering 6'9" right-hander David Palladino. The 2011 Emerson High School junior college pitcher went 7-3 with a 2.18 ERA as the staff ace of Howard College in Texas.