At 6’5” and 280 lbs., Anthony Giannelli, 17, is no ordinary baseball player.  The senior is nationally recognized and is expected to go far and achieve incredible things in life, according to Coach Rocky, his head coach and one of his most enthusiastic supporters.
Anthony’s talent and achievements indeed are awe-inspiring. As starting pitcher and at first base, Anthony enjoys the game very much. “I love this game. I’ve been playing ever since I was a kid,” he said.
Anthony has an impressive batting average of .367% and has over five homeruns under his belt. He has once even pitched at 90 mph, a skill that makes him a valuable member on the field.
Besides all of his athletic abilities, Anthony has one main difference that sets him apart from other athletes: he is partially deaf or hard-of-hearing. This disability, which would seem like a disadvantage and a struggle to most, is no problem for him at all.
Over the summer, Anthony was selected to be a part of the prestigious Under Armour National Baseball Team, a national program that selects only 16 out of thousands of participants. He traveled to Arizona and has just returned after participating in wooden bat tournaments. There, numerous scouts and coaches from colleges evaluated his skills. Anthony performed impressively, but there also were other talented players that were pitching at a speed of 90 to 95 mph.
Anthony plans on playing more to improve himself. Fortunately, Anthony receives support from his family for the sport. His dad, Tom Giannelli, once played in the Minor League Baseball. His legacy now lives on through Anthony and Stephen Giannelli, Anthony’s younger brother, who is also a great baseball player. “He will most likely be as good as Anthony, and maybe even better,” said coach Rocky.
 He attended and played for Burbank High School for his freshman and sophmore years, years, but id enthusiastical about Fairfax. “I love playing for this school. It’s great. The coaches really know how to coach too,” he said. “My dad took me out of my previous school because he felt that my abilities weren’t being used to their best. Here, I can play to the best of my abilities. I love every second of it.”