Prep Baseball Report

Recruiting Q&A with 2017 3B Griffin Bernardo



By Rob Sidwell
Florida Scouting Director

Jack Leggett and his staff have landed a young power bat in the Central Florida area. 2017 Third baseman Griffin Bernardo (Lake Brantley HS) is a 5-foot-11, 190 pound infielder with a thick blocky strong body and decent actions and hands for a big guy. Enough arm for 3B. Bat has some length with good bat speed and very good strength for a young guy. Plus ML raw power now. Easy power. Looseness and fluidity in swing. Power bat.

A great addition to the Tigers 2017 class! Here’s what Griffin had to say about verbally committing to Clemson and how he came to his decision.

PBR: What were your expectations about the recruiting process?

Griffin: My Dad and I have attended many camps and showcases over that last several years. As a part of these events often times there were recruiting seminars where coaches would provide insight into how recruiting works. We asked a lot of questions along the way. Couple that with the many kids I knew that committed and hearing their stories helped set realistic expectations for me.

Was it as expected? Looking back I would say yes. But when you are in the process no matter how prepared I was I was still a bit nervous. Especially with the first couple conversations but as things progressed I became more comfortable.

Easy/Difficult? I don’t think I could categorize it as easy. I would say very challenging and rewarding.

PBR: What were you looking for out of a college program to continue your baseball career at?

Griffin: I was mainly looking for a place that I could see myself going to and continue to develop as a player and as a student.

PBR: Did location or distance from home play a factor in your decision?

Griffin: As a kid I didn’t want to go very far from home, as I got older I wanted to experience something a little different but being a Florida boy I didn’t want to go that far up north. So I settled in around the southeast region.

PBR: When did the recruiting process really start to heat up for you? Was there a particular game or event that you feel turned the corner for you?

Griffin: The recruiting process really started when I was 14 but it heated up in the summer of 2014. I’m not sure it was a particular event.

 

PBR: Where did the college you chose first see you?

Griffin: Coach LeCroy first saw me at the USA Baseball National Team Identification Series (NTIS) event in August of 2014. The event was held at the National Training Center in Cary North Carolina. It was the second year I was a member of the 16U Team representing Team North Florida at this event. How did your relationship develop with them?  After the initial few emails I sent my dad and I decided to go up to South Carolina for their winter camp.  There I met with the coaches and continued to talk with them through out the weekend.  A few days after the camp I called them a few times.

PBR: What do you like most about the college you committed to and what were the key factors in making your decision?

Griffin: After you have visited several schools the facilities proved to be less of a factor because they are all are very nice. In the end what was the deciding factor for me was the coaching and how comfortable I felt when I was at Clemson. The thought of playing for and learning from Coach Leggett and Coach LeCroy made my decision very clear. I wanted to be a Clemson Tiger. I felt like they sincerely believed in me and think highly of my abilities and work ethic and could help me take my game to a higher level.

PBR: What other schools were on your short list before you made your final decision?

Griffin: Auburn, Florida, Florida State, Ole Miss.

PBR: Who is the best player you have faced in your state, and why?

Griffin: That’s a tough question to answer because its hard to narrow down just one person when I’ve played with and against some of the top talent in Florida.

PBR: At what point in your career did you realize you were a college caliber player and became serious about taking your game to the next level?

Griffin: I committed myself to the game of baseball when I was 13 years old. I of course have played baseball since I was 3 like everyone else but when I was introduced to a travel ball program known as CFBL (Central Florida Baseball League) that is when everything changed for me. Finding out how expensive it was my dad and I had a conversation. He said if I was willing to commit myself fully to the game he would commit whatever time and resources he could to make it happen for me. That’s the day everything really began for me. From that point on I have worked to get better, hitting lessons, defensive lessons, speed and agility training along with conditioning and core strengthening. Outside of that I hit in the cage and take ground ball work almost every day and I continuously study the baseball swing and the game on the internet through things like Youtube.

PBR: What advice would you give to young baseball players striving to get where you are?

Griffin: My biggest thing is just work every chance you get and be self-motivated.  Strive to be the best player on the field every time you play.

PBR: What is the most memorable moment in your baseball career to this point?

When I was 14 we were in Jupiter for a USA baseball tournament, we were number one seed going into bracket play and we had to play the 16th seed.  After 7 innings we were down 1 to 0, the game had turned into a pitchers battle and we were being shut out.  In the bottom of the 7th with 1 out our lead off batter had bunted for a hit and our 2 hole guy got walked and I was up.  The count got to 2-2 and the guy on the mound served up a fastball on the outer half of the plate and I hit it to the fence in right center.  Both of our base runners scored and we wound up winning the game 2-1 on a walk off triple.  To this day that was the best moment in my baseball career. 

PBR: Preview your high school season for us. How do you feel your team will be? What are your expectations and goals?

Griffin: I think we have the chance to have a really good season. We are pretty deep in pitching and have the potential to have a very solid defense. Besides myself and my commitment to Clemson we also have our short stop who is a top 100 2016 guy who committed to Vanderbilt. We also have several other guys who will commit to D1 schools over the next few months. I think we can win our section and make the playoffs. Once they start it’s the team that gets hot from that point forward. Personally I would like to lead the team in average, extra base hits, stolen bases, on base percentage, home runs and fielding percentage.

PBR: Where do you play in the summer? And what has been your most memorable experience with them?

Griffin: Up until this coming summer I played for a travel ball organization known as CFBL. I decided to make a change this year for several reasons. I will now play for one of the premier travel ball organizations in the country known as the Orlando Scorpions. We will play perfect game events mostly in Florida and Georgia.