LI diamond hero, who spent 14 years in Major Leagues, named to NY Baseball Hall of Fame: ‘It’s pretty humbling’

He’s still a hit in the Empire State.

Long Island native Frank Catalanotto has been inducted into the New York State Baseball Hall of Fame — in recognition of the 14 record-filled seasons he spent playing in the Major Leagues for a series of teams, including the Mets.

The lifetime .291 hitter now joins the likes of former Yankees legend Don Mattingly and Red Sox great Carl Yastrzemski in the Empire State hardball hall.

“It’s pretty humbling to be in a scene, the same hall of fame as some of these guys,” said Catalanotto, who was inducted in a ceremony in Troy on Nov. 9.

The 51-year-old started his road to the pros playing Little League for the Smithtown Bulls and High School ball at Smithtown East, before getting drafted into the Detroit Tigers minor league system in 1992.

Catalanotto, who played both infield and outfield, made his MLB debut for the team five years later, in 1997. He got delt to the Texas Rangers in 2000 and saw his career really take off, as he set a team record by recording 10 hits in consecutive at-bats in games from late April to May.

In 2001, he went on to beat out steroid-linked-superstar teammates Alex Rodriguez and Rafael Palmeiro for the top batting average on the squad at .330, which ranked him fifth in the American League.

“The ball looked like a beach ball coming in then … I definitely owe it to the guys around me,” he said.

“The pitchers were more focused on getting these big-time hitters out…because of them, I was getting better pitches to hit.” 

He moved on to the Toronto Blue Jays in 2003 — where he set another franchise record by getting six hits in one game in 2004.

The biggest adversity Catalanotto faced was “dealing with the failure” of when times weren’t filled with record streaks, as the rough days brought upon “some sleepless nights.”

“You go 0-10, 0-12, you start panicking a little bit because you know that there’s a guy right behind you ready to take your job,” said Catalanotto.

“There’s the hotshot stud in the minor leagues that can’t wait to get called up. The way I was able to combat that was to try to work harder than everyone else.”

When it came time to hang the cleats up in 2010 after a brief stint with the Mets, Catalanotto thought he was done with baseball for good.

He traded home plate for home equity and began”enjoying” a second act flipping houses on LI, where he was “treated like a celebrity.”

“It was something I’ve always wanted to do,” he said.

A good friend realized the infielder-turned-outfielder had way too much knowledge of the game to leave languishing in his head and urged Catalanotto to take a coaching gig with New York Tech in 2019.

“He said, ‘Listen, just, just do it for a year. If you don’t like it, you can just quit.’ And I was like, ‘Alright, I’ll give it a try, but I don’t think I’m going to like this.’”

He was never so wrong in his life.

“When I saw the impact that I could have, and those light bulb moments, that’s when I started getting passionate about it, and saying, ‘Wow, I can really help these young baseball players.’”

“When you see them get it…it’s so rewarding,” he added.

Breakthroughs didn’t take long, either. Catalanotto joined Hofstra’s baseball program in July 2021 and led the Pride to its first-ever Colonial Athletic Association title the very next season, thanks in large part to some inside baseball from a pro’s perspective.

“I’m able to teach them things that I talked about with Alex Rodriguez, Carlos Delgado, and David Wright, things that you might not get from coaches that didn’t play professional baseball.”

“I’d say it’s more of the mental part of the game. I’m able to tell them, ‘hey, this pitcher, he’s tipping his pitches, when his glove is wide, it’s a change-up, when his glove is tight, it’s a fastball.’”

His reputation nowadays is shifting away from just being Smithtown’s MLB bragging right, as Catalanotto said he’s having more conversations about Hofstra’s future than about his past glory days.

“Some people, they get finished with their career, and they disappear,” Catalanotto, who still roots for his old Little League, said.

“I think it’s important to stay around, and it’s pretty cool to still be recognized here on Long Island.”