Sizzling Prospect Shells More Than Just Batters

There’s a gentle popping and bubbling berthing in front of a lanky teenager. He just placed dough wrapped around a roller into a pot of boiling oil. After about a minute, he’ll lift the shell out and stuff it with a blend of sweet ricotta cheese and heavy cream, along with some sugar and chocolate chips.

That young man is first-round pick Frank Mozzicato. The Kansas City Royals selected the southpaw seventh overall in the 2021 draft out of East Catholic High School in Manchester, Connecticut. When the Royals selected Mozzicato July 11, 2021, they made him the highest-drafted Connecticut player since Bobby Valentine was picked fifth overall by the Los Angeles Dodgers in 1968. Of course, that was 35 years before our pitcher was born.

The lefty was a dark horse in the 2021 draft class. No one would have predicted him climbing to where he did prior to the 2021 campaign, but his work speaks for itself. He spun four consecutive no-hitters to put himself on the map and draw the attention of scouts. Once they saw that, they could see Mozzicato’s low-90s fastball at 17-years-old and his plus curveball out of his left hand and they were intrigued.

All-in-all, a year after the world shut down for a year due to the COVID-19 Pandemic, a Connecticut teenager led his team to a State Championship with an unbelievable 9-0 record, including 135 punchouts in 55.2 innings of work and an unfathomable 0.16 ERA. If that weren’t zany enough, he finished out his high school career with 49.2 consecutive scoreless innings, completing the stretch in electric fashion. In a 7-0 victory over the second-seeded Northwestern Highlanders, Mozzicato pitched a one-hitter where he wrung up 17 batters to lead East Catholic to its fifth title in program history.

Before Frank took Connecticut by storm in 2021, people knew the Mozzicato name for a much different reason in the Constitution State. They know it for some of the best baked goods available in the northeast.

Mozzicato’s Pastry Shop first opened up in Hartford, Connecticut in 1973, five years after Gino Mozzicato immigrated to the US from Italy. Gino is Frank’s grandfather’s cousin. According to the family’s website, mozzicatobakery.com, it didn’t take long for the Mom and Pop shop to expand, as they bought DePasquale Bakery in 1975 to become the brand they are today, The Mozzicato de Pasquale Bakery & Pastry Shop, carrying along Connecticut cooking traditions that began in 1908. Since, the family has expanded to five locations: the original in Hartford, then additional ones in Plainville, Wallingford, Middletown and Rocky Hill. Frank can recall visiting the stores growing up.

“Growing up, my older brother and I would always go over there in the back and be able to make our own cannoli,” Mozzicato remembers. “Our dad would bring us over and show us around where we could meet our cousins.”

Having a bakery and pastry shop in the family certainly makes birthday parties and family holiday parties a lot easier. Frank can remember his father picking up a bunch of pastries from the shop early in the morning before any family event to make sure everyone could enjoy some of their favorite treats. For Frank, it goes back to what he makes in the back.

“My favorites are definitely the cannoli and I also really enjoy the Ricotta Squares,” Frank tells.

Like the cannoli sitting in the boiling oil, the lefty still has time to develop before he’s ready to serve up heaters in the Majors.

Still just 18 years old, the Connecticut native has always enjoyed sports. When he was young, he also played basketball, and even participated in AAU during the summers, but many of his memories revolve around baseball.

“One of my favorite memories was having a giant wiffle ball tournament for my 11th birthday party,” Mozzicato explains. “All of my friends came over and we played all day. It was really fun.”

He’s come a long way from playing wiffle ball at birthday parties. Mozzicato made his professional debut with the Fireflies May 18 vs the top team in the league, The Myrtle Beach Pelicans. In his first start, he fanned three hitters across three innings, while only allowing a single hit. The lefty will make his fifth-career start Friday, June 10, nine days prior to his 19th birthday. In his first four starts, he has struck out 11 batters in 10 innings and limited his opponents to a .200 average.

Like a Mozzicato Bakery’s cookie, Frank will soon be good enough to serve to batters beyond the Carolina League across the country. He’ll eventually make his way to the Quad City River Bandits and beyond as he climbs the ladder in hopes to join the Royals roster. The good news about the cookies, even if you aren’t in Connecticut, you can have a taste of home shipped to you! Just visit Mozzicatobakery.com/store to enjoy some award-winning desserts from Connecticut—then in a few years, you can enjoy the curveball and mid-90s heater that the young pitcher has developed since he left home.