Kyle Young, 6-10 St. Dominic pitcher, looms large on the diamond

Kyle Young, wearing his St. Dominic baseball uniform, walks to the counter and orders a slice of pizza. A young woman to his right, mouth agape, just stands there and stares. A couple sitting at a nearby table looks at Young and whispers to each other.

Young is used to it. He’s 6-foot-10 and his presence brings out a natural curiosity to those around him.

“Ah, I’m OK with it,” said the senior lefthander, laughing. “I’m really tall and people don’t mean to be rude. I’ve always been the tallest kid and I love it. There are quite a few advantages.”

Young has never been that gangly, self-conscious big kid. He’s really easy going, likes to laugh a lot and can be charming. He’s always very positive.

Young is the next big thing in Long Island high school baseball. In fact, he is believed to be is the tallest pitcher in the history of the high school sport on the island.

“We’ve seen a transformation in Kyle this year,” said St. Dominic coach Jimmy Goelz. “His boyish look is starting to change and his demeanor is changing too. We want him to use his size as an intimidation factor when he takes the mound.”

Goelz said Young is so friendly, he’d go out to pitch and smile at everyone, from the umpires to the opposing hitters, coaches, just everyone.

“It was just an, ‘I’m happy to be here attitude,’ ” Goelz said. “Which is fine for some guys. But when you’re lefthanded and 6-foot-10 and throw 90 miles an hour, you should strike fear into the opposition. He already has the edge when he walks to the mound. He’s already intimidating and we want him to understand that. He can be a dominant force.”

The physical attributes and the overpowering fastball have projected Young as a draft-worthy, blue-chip prospect.

“We’re getting attention from major league scouts,” Young said. “We’ll see how the season goes and what the projections are for me. I have a lot to be thankful for. I have my college opportunity right in front of me and if I need to make a decision between college and professional baseball I’ll address that with the people in my life that want what’s best for me.”

Young accepted a full scholarship to play baseball for Hofstra and coach John Russo in the fall. He’s added muscle to his thin frame and increased his weight to 226 pounds, up from 180 at the start of the 2015 season.

“We’re excited about Kyle Young and his potential,” Russo said. “He’s got such upside. He’s the complete package as a person and a player and most important is he’s excited to play for us.”

Young, who stood 6-foot-9 as a junior, says he’s always compared to 6-10 Hall of Famer lefthander Randy Johnson and current Chicago White Sox lefthander Chris Sale, a rail-thin 6-foot-6.

“I like the comparisons but I have a ways to go to be that good,” Young said. “My velocity spiked last year. And we’re working on some new grips for more movement and better location. I’ve refined my pitching mechanics.”

St. Dominic pitching coach Chris Rojas said he sees the change in Young’s mental makeup.

“Kyle was somewhat immature last year,” Rojas said. “And we sat him down and were critical of him and he was receptive and handled the criticism well. He’s more focused this year with a lot more determination. He’s made great strides there.”

Rojas added that Young is athletic for a big man. “He has tremendous body control and he’s smooth. His ceiling is really high. And when he gets downhill and pounds the inside part of the plate, he’s unhittable.”

“The ball is jumping out of his hand this year,” Goelz said. “He has good arm speed and as continues to mature, the fire will burn.”

Young said his parents, Chris and Barbara, have been instrumental in his career, always taking the time to make opportunities available to him. He’s had an array of pitching coaches, including John Mangeri, Mike Myers, Neal Heaton and now Rojas.

“I’ve taken something from all of them,” said Young, who lives in Syosset. “It’s all coming together for me this year. St. Dominic has been a great experience and I’ll never forget all my teammates and friends and the opportunities afforded me here.”

So are there any disadvantages to being so tall?

“Oh yeah,” Young laughed. “I couldn’t ride a great roller coaster at Disney World because they said I’d hit my head. I don’t fit in most movie seats, planes seats, stadium seats and I can’t get into smaller cars. And doorways can be a challenge.”

But when you’re 6-10, the view is never obscured.

By Gregg Sarra

gregg.sarra@newsday.com@Gregg_Sarra

Gregg Sarra is Newsday's high school sports editor and has been on the beat since the mid-1980s.