Cyclones Closer to Play for Hank's Yanks

All season long, the South Side High School baseball team enjoyed a luxury that most teams wished they had: a shut down closer.

Now, South Side senior closer Griffin Wagner will shed his Cyclones pinstripes for a new set — navy blue Yankee ones — after being selected to play for Hank’s Yanks, the 18-and-under Summer League team funded by Yankee principal owner Hank Steinbrenner. Hank's Yanks compiles elite baseball players from around the tri-state area to compete against each other.

After seeing his body of work all season long, and watching him throw a handful of bullpen sessions, the team couldn’t keep Wagner off its roster.

"I hope to get better as a baseball player, as well as a young adult through the coaching staff they’ve assembled,” Wagner said. “It’s a great program that let's you learn about the game and about life from great coaches and men.”

Griffin’s father, Tom, said he knows this is a rare opportunity, and hopes that his son can soak in every drop of wisdom instilled by the experienced coaching staff led by Yankees executive Ray Negron and former players.

“It’s a professional experience throughout," Tom said. "The bottom line is that the team represents Mr. Steinbrenner and the Yankees, so they need to carry themselves in a certain manner at all times."

Two of Hank’s Yanks have been drafted into Major League Baseball, and the Wagners hope that Griffin can show that he has the skills to play professionally, as he continues his baseball career at Johnson and Wales next fall.

Like a certain iconic Yankees closer, Wagner said he feels that his greatest asset isn’t his two fastballs, changeup or knuckle-curveball (his go-to pitch), but his demeanor and composure on the mound.

“I go to the mound with all the confidence in the world, and when I enter my windup, I just believe that nobody can hit the pitch that I'm about the throw,” Griffin said. “I feel like I can take baseball however far I want to take it as long as I keep working hard and learning the art of pitching.”

Griffin, however, wasn’t always a pitcher. Making his way through Rockville Centre Little League, Wagner was spread around the field until he was 13. He then decided to exclusively pitch and play third base. Once he hit high school, his father said, “We thought it best that he dedicate his time and effort to pitching, which we thought was his strength.”

Griffin acknowledged how important his little league experience was to his burgeoning baseball career. “I grew up learning the game of baseball through RVC, and they made me the player I am today,” he said. 

Griffin’s role on Hank’s Yanks remains undetermined, but he's going into it with an open mind, and is “willing to accept any role they give [him], whether it’s to start or close.” 

No matter where he winds up pitching, there is no doubt he will make his village and family proud before he moves on to college in August.