JUPITER, Fla. — This hard-throwing young pitcher on a National League club grew up in the Northeast as a huge Yankees fan, and he is not afraid to admit he pitches with a chip on his shoulder.
Sounds a bit like Matt Harvey.
Rob Kaminsky was set to pitch at North Carolina, too, like Harvey did.
Instead, after being drafted in the first round (28th overall) out of St. Joseph Regional High School of Montvale, N.J., in 2013, Kaminsky, a 6-foot, 195-pound left-hander, signed with St. Louis for nearly $1.8 million and is steadily moving up the Cardinals’ pitching ladder, citing the on-point coaching he has received from the organization.
Harvey has been an inspiration as well.
“Watching Matt Harvey pitch is unbelievable. I’m a big fan of his,’’ Kaminsky told The Post earlier this week at Roger Dean Stadium. “I definitely want to meet him.
“Harvey works his tail off — it’s a blue-collar attitude. The most important thing for me is the end result,’’ Kaminsky said. “The end result is what you got to crave.’’
It’s about winning. That sounds a lot like the Mets’ right-hander, too.
Kaminsky, 20, also pointed to Toronto’s Marcus Stroman, who is from Long Island, as another pitching model.
“It’s a clique,’’ Kaminsky said. “Coming from the Northeast, it’s a family, you root for one another. You keep in touch. It’s the best environment. The Northeast is very blue-collar. You get everything you earn — you work your tail off and good things will happen.
“That’s why I love getting drafted by these guys, they’re the same way,’’ Kaminsky said of the Cardinals. “You have to earn everything you get. They will give you every piece of knowledge you need, but you have to ask questions and do the right thing. You have to care about your career.
“Coming from a New Jersey high school is a little different,’’ Kaminsky admitted. “A lot of these guys, I’m the first Jersey kid they meet, so I try to represent Jersey well. I definitely have a little chip on my shoulder.
“New Jersey has some of the best baseball you can see — with guys like Mike Trout, Rick Porcello and Todd Frazier opening doors,” Kaminsky said. “I’m just trying to follow their footsteps.
“I think now a lot of baseball people think there is a certain toughness that comes from being the Northeast.’’
Kaminsky said he learned one of his most important lessons from Harvey while listening to a radio interview — “the 24-hour rule.’’
What exactly is that?
“Regardless of how good you do or how bad you do, you don’t remember in 24 hours,’’ Kaminsky said.
The day after he was drafted by the Cardinals, Kaminsky and his mom, Donna, painted his bedroom. The room was Yankees pinstripes — “The entire room,’’ Kaminsky said.
It became Cardinals red.
“My mom did most of the painting,’’ Kaminsky said with a big smile. “I’m not a big painter.’’
Only when it comes to the corners of the plate.
“This has been an extraordinary experience,’’ his father Alan said of Rob’s journey. “Just watching the way he has progressed and matured and how he handles himself on and off the field has been a remarkable experience. He is so dedicated. He loves everything about it. He loves learning from his coaches and teammates.
“To me, as his father, to see how he handled this opportunity he has been blessed with, I’m just so proud of him.’’
Kaminsky, who is Jewish, grew up a fan of Sandy Koufax, hearing stories from his family about the Hall of Fame Dodgers left-hander. Rob has yet to meet Koufax, but is hoping that day comes soon.
Kaminsky is a student of the game. Throughout his kitchen at his family home in Englewood Cliffs, N.J., he taped newspaper photos of top left-handed pitchers to the cabinets.
Now he is making the most of his Cardinals pitching education, the Cardinal Way. Kaminsky figures to start the season at High-A Palm Beach in the Florida State League.
“He came off a really good year and is right on track,’’ said Gary LaRoque, the Cardinals’ senior advisor for player development. “He’s an excellent competitor, has a great work ethic. He sets up hitters. He understands what he brings to the table. He’s a real student of the game, too. A lot of great, great qualities.
“I’m learning something new every day,’’ Kaminsky said, pointing to the help he has received from instructors like ex-Met Jason Isringhausen. “He gets it, he has a feel for it.’’
Kaminsky said he is excited about the progress he is making with his fastball command and his changeup. He’s always had a tremendous curveball and has sharpened that as well.
At Low-A Peoria last year, pitching in the same rotations as another Jersey product Alex Reyes, Kaminsky was 8-2 with a 1.88 ERA, striking out 79 batters in 100 ²/₃ innings with 31 walks.
He hit six batters. He is not afraid to pitch inside.
“This is the perfect place for me,’’ he said of St. Louis. “They care about you as people in this organization.’’
Kaminsky is determined to make the most of this opportunity and have some laughs along the way.
“I get some comments from guys about being from New Jersey,’’ he said with a big smile. “They think everything is the Jersey Shore. They rip on me for what I wear to the gym.’’
Kaminsky has no problem with that. After all, you gotta represent.