Baseball Player Magazine

 He was a lightly recruited pitcher out of Bellport High, then an All-American shortstop at Suffolk County Community College, and until recently a vital cog on the St. John’s pitching staff. The road for Yaphank’s Bruce Kern has twisted and turned, but what a ride it’s been. 

“Everything happens for a reason,” Kern said. “I’m glad everything happened the way that it did.” 

In a short time, Kern has risen up the ranks as one of Long Island’s most highly regarded prospects. He wasn’t wowed by any offers out of Bellport, so instead of settling on just anyplace, he opted to attend Suffolk’s Ammerman campus. Over two seasons, Kern went 9-2 with a 1.51 ERA and struck out 102 batters over 77.2 innings. As a sophomore, he was named a First-Team All-American as a shortstop and the Region XV Player of the Year. His stellar two-year stint in Selden paved the way to St. John’s. 

Kern’s debut year in Queens was up-and-down,  his 6.09 ERA didn’t stand out, but some of his performances did, particularly his complete game victory over Cincinnati in the Big East Tournament. Then it was just a matter of maintaining consistency. Through a tryout, he earned a temporary contract with the Wareham Gatemen of the Cape Cod Baseball League last summer, and his 3.28 ERA out of the bullpen kept him around for the season’s entirety. With success there came added confidence. 

“I have a better understanding of when to pitch to contact and when to try to strike a batter out,” Kern said. “Last year, I gave up quite a few home runs; this year I did a better job of keeping the ball down.” 

Kern won’t overpower with his low-90s fastball but rather keeps hitters guessing with an excellent four-pitch repertoire. He features a four-seam and two-seam fastball, curveball, slider, as well as a newly acquired circle change-up. 

“[The circle change] keeps batters off balance,” Kern said. “I get a lot of swings and misses. I’ve always had it, but it wasn’t very good. I got hit around a lot and didn’t really throw it, but I focused on developing it and it’s been really big for me.” 

His best efforts this spring included five perfect innings, with eight Ks in New Orleans to start the season, seven innings of one-run ball to beat Seton Hall in early April, and a 12-strikeout gem against West Virginia a week later. 

Kern is quick to acknowledge Neal Heaton, his pitching coach since seventh grade, and Paul Gibson, both of All-Pro Sports Academy in his hometown of Bellport. He also praises the work of Suffolk head coach Eric Brown and St. John’s pitching coach Scott Brown. 

According to Perfect Game USA, Kern was the 59th-ranked senior in this year’s draft, a sharp contrast from when, out of high school, he was barely on the scouts’ radar. A lot has changed, but he also recognizes there’s still room to grow. 

“The next step is to get a little stronger,” Kern said. “That’s been my thing for a while. I feel like I haven’t gotten drafted because of my weight, but that hasn’t held me back from pitching well, but it’s the next step in taking it to the next level.”