Veryzer was born in Port Jefferson, New York, in 1953. He attended Islip High School in Islip, New York. In high school, he played shortstop for Islip\'s baseball team and compiled a .467 batting average. He also played soccer and basketball at Islip where his father was the athletic director and basketball coach.\n', '

Veryzer was drafted by the Detroit Tigers in the first round (eleventh pick overall) of the 1971 Major League Baseball Draft. He signed a bonus contract with the Tigers in June 1971. His older brother, James, had been drafted by the Kansas City Athletics in the 49th round of the 1967 Major League Baseball Draft, but had also moved to the Tigers\' organization by 1971 as well.\n', '

Veryzer played for the Bristol Tigers upon graduating from high school in 1971. He batted just .225 with four home runs and 20 RBIs, but his defensive play earned him Appalachian League MVP honors. He was promoted to the Montgomery Rebels in the Southern League in 1972 where he hit .220. \n', '

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