by Kristina Gabalski
In a Proclamation presented January 10, the Brockport Village Board recognized the achievements of native son Andy Parrino, a 2004 graduate of Brockport High School who is now in spring training with the San Diego Padres. Provided photoIt’s been an exciting six months for Andy Parrino, a 2004 graduate of Brockport High School and son of Tony and Sue Parrino of Brockport.
After four years in San Diego Padres’ minor league organizations, Parrino was called up to the majors last August and is currently back in Phoenix getting ready for spring training.
Parrino was honored by the Village of Brockport on January 10 during a visit home, with a proclamation presented by the village board recognizing and congratulating him for his achievements.
“I was truly honored to have received the proclamation from the Brockport Village Board when I returned home this off-season,” Parrino told the Suburban News and Hamlin-Clarkson Herald via email. “I don’t spend much time home anymore, mostly just for the holidays to spend time with my family, but it’s always nice to come home and be recognized and be a role model for kids in the area and show them to have a good work ethic and not give up on their dreams.”
Parrino says being called up to the majors last season gave him a chance to get his feet wet at the most competitive level.
“After my ‘cup of coffee’ in the big leagues last season, I was able to use that time to learn so much about the speed of the game,” Parrino explains. “I was able to learn a lot about the game from veterans on the team and how to let the game come to me and try to stay confident and relaxed which was difficult at the beginning because I was a little overwhelmed at times.”
“Last season when I got called up to the major leagues, I found myself at times trying to do too much, especially at the plate, which got me in some bad situations and (I) didn’t always have quality at bats. It was a surprising yet exciting transition from the minor leagues to the major leagues because the guys I was playing against were the best in the world and it takes a lot of focus and determination to play at that constant competitive level of baseball day in and day out,” he says.
Heading into the 2012 season, Parrino says he has the opportunity to make the opening day roster as a utility player.
“I have played shortstop, second base, third base, right and left field at the major league level,” he says and notes it’s always an advantage to be versatile, especially on a National League team.
What does Parrino miss most about Brockport?
“This might sound weird, but I miss the pizza,” he says. “I can’t find a good piece of pizza out West too often. I miss the changing of the seasons, too. I think my blood has gotten a little thinner because I tend to spend less and less time at home now because of the cold weather, but I do love seeing snow.”
When he is home, he enjoys giving back to the community that gave him so much while he was growing up, Parrino says.
“This past off-season, I was able to visit Golisano Children’s Hospital and Bishop Kearney High School and interact with kids who have dreams and aspirations which I had as a kid. I also was able to help out the Brockport High School baseball team when they had off-season workouts. On the weekends when I’m home, I run baseball camps and private lessons at The Battery in Gates for boys and girls ages 5 through 18.”
Parrino especially thanks his parents for believing in him and sacrificing for him so that he could fulfill his dream of becoming a major league baseball player.
He also thanks Fred Tillinghast, “who gave me countless hours of instruction and taught me how to play the game the right way. My high school coach, Brian Jones, who gave me the opportunity to play varsity baseball as an eighth grader and was always there for me throughout my career. My college coach, Steve Owens at Le Moyne, he always kept me on track and told me if I wanted to make it to the major leagues, there was going to be sacrifices I had to make in life to keep from veering off track and letting outside factors influence my decisions.”
Parrino also thanks his brother, Nathan, “for always being there when I was a kid, even though I’m sure he didn’t want to at times. Being able to practice with someone who was also great at baseball made it easier for me to get good quality work in at home with him and my father.”
