Belfiore attended Commack High School,where he played first base,outfield,and pitcher as a member of the school's baseball team.[1] During his senior season in 2006,Belfiore won the Section XI League Most Valuable Player award;the Gibson Award,an award given to the best pitcher in Suffolk County;was named to All-Long Island team;was a first-team All-State All-League and All-County selection;and won the Commack High School Most Outstanding Athlete award.[1] He was also a Suffolk County Hall of Fame inductee in 2006.[1] He started all four of his years on the school's baseball team.[2]
He was perhaps best known in high school for his epic showdown with pitcher Jesse Katz,of Northport High School.
Belfiore pitching for the South Bend Silver Hawks,single-A affiliates of the Arizona Diamondbacks,in 2010
Arizona Diamondbacks
Belfiore made his professional baseball debut in 2009 with the rookie-levelMissoula Osprey of the Pioneer League.[12] On the subject of pitching in professional baseball,Belfiore said,"In college I just threw fastballs and a slider and blew guys away...You have to use your changeup and understand hitters counts [at this level]".[2] He was a league all-star that season.[3] With Missoula,he went 2–2 with a 2.17 ERA,and 55 strikeouts in 14 games,11 starts. At the start of the 2010 season,Belfiore was assigned to play with the South Bend Silver Hawks of the Single-AMidwest League. On the season,he compiled a 3–10 record with a 3.99 ERA,and 105 strikeouts in 25 games,all starts.
Baltimore Orioles
Belfiore was traded to the Baltimore Orioles as the player to be named later in the April trade that sent Josh Bell to Arizona on May 12,2012.[13] In 28 appearances down the stretch for the Double-A Bowie Baysox,he compiled a 5-1 record and 2.71 ERA with 78 strikeouts and three saves across 66+1⁄3 innings pitched.
Belfiore was recalled by the Orioles from the Triple-A Norfolk Tides on May 12, 2013,[13] and returned to Norfolk the next day.[14] Belfiore was recalled again on September 21, and made his major league debut on September 27. Pitching to his first batter, he allowed a home run to David Ortiz.[15]
On April 3, 2014, the Detroit Tigers claimed Belfiore off waivers and assigned him to the Triple-A Toledo Mud Hens.[17] He made 35 appearances (13 starts) for the Triple-A Toledo Mud Hens, posting a 5-7 record and 3.25 ERA with 60 strikeouts across 91+1⁄3 innings pitched.
Belfiore returned to Toledo for the 2015 season, logging a 5-11 record and 5.60 ERA with 77 strikeouts over 22 starts. Belfiore was released by Detroit on August 15, 2015, to clear roster space for Kyle Lobstein, who had been sent to the Mud Hens on a rehab assignment.[18]
Baltimore Orioles (second stint)
On August 19, 2015, Belfiore signed a minor league contract with the Baltimore Orioles. He finished the year with the Triple-A Norfolk Tides, recording a 2.31 ERA with five strikeouts in 11+2⁄3 innings pitched across three starts. Belfiore elected free agency following the season on November 6.[19]
Personal
Belfiore was born in Commack, New York. He is the middle child of Michael and Patricia Belfiore.[1]
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