Philadelphia Area Baseball Team Program
How it Begins: Starting at 9U and 10U, Philadelphia Area Baseball (PAB) will organize a comprehensive
tryout aimed at selecting youth players from the tri-state area. A competitive travel team,
intending to play in high end tournaments and against best competition will be formed to practice
and play together on a yearly basis. Initially the team will remain together for a period of years
through their 12U season.
The Goal: Develop superior, well-rounded baseball players that can compete on a national level.
To create a foundation to attend and play at the top academic and baseball high schools in the
area.
Also to instill:
– Understanding of winning and the need to compete
– Strong Work-Ethic.
– Self-Confidence and Self-Esteem.
– Developing individual play and team play.
– Developing a relentless will to succeed that will carry over into all aspects of
development.
How it Works: The team will consist of 11 players intending to play together for a period of
years. Developing as a bonded unit. As necessary, additional tryouts year to year may be
required.
Training: The program will consist of two 90-minute team workouts weekly for a period of 10
months out of each year. Workouts will be controlled and instructed by Kenny Koplove (see
below for bio). Each practice session will focus on skill and strategic aspects of baseball as well
as general athletic development. Training will be conducted at a Philadelphia Area Baseball
facility with the highest level baseball technology in the area along with a state of the art outdoor
baseball field at the site.
Team Coaches: Ideally, a parent head coach with assistant coaches who will also be team
parents. The Head Coach will be selected by Philadelphia Area Baseball and trained by
Philadelphia Area Baseball. Game day autonomy will rest with the selected coaches.
Coaches will be trained in:
– Proper infield and outfield play and hitting strategies
– Team defense and offense
– Specific baserunning procedures
– Coach-player relationships
– Coach-parent relationships
– Proper game and tournament scheduling to maximize competition
Multiple Teams and Outside Training: Players are permitted to play on multiple teams and
also train additionally individually at PAB or with outside instructors of their choice. It is
expected, however, to maintain team continuity, that players prioritize training and games with
their Philadelphia Area Team.
Training Cost:
– $300 per month for 12 hours of training a month in a team setting.
– Ends up essentially costing $25 per hour per player.
Team Cost: All team playing costs will be covered solely by the team such as:
– Uniforms
– Tournaments
– Exhibition Games
– Equipment
Age: Players must be born after May 1st, 2013 (9U) and 2014 (10U) to be eligible for this team.
This team is not a pay to play model. This is a pay to train model. Philadelphia Area Baseball
will not charge team fees, only training fees. The team and parents will set their own fee
structure.
Philadelphia Area Baseball technology includes:
– 2 Hittrax – ProPlay AI
– 1 Throwtrax – Laser Timers
– Probatter Pitching Machine – Motus Sleeve
– High Speed Camera
– Multiple Radar Guns
– Dirt Mound
– Blast System
– State of the art on site outdoor training and game-ready field
Kenny Koplove Resume includes:
– 2019 AAA with Colorado Rockies
– Drafted 2015 by Philadelphia Phillies
– High School All-American as a High School Freshman
– Inter-Ac High School League MVP as a Freshman
– Duke University starting Shortstop from 2013-2015 and Closer
– Single Season Save’s record at Duke University
– PA Gatorade High School Player of the Year (2012)
– Two-Way College John Ulerud Player of the Year Finalist
Our Major Leaguers:
– Mike Koplove – Arizona Diamondbacks, Cleveland Indians, 2008 United States
Olympic Team
– Mark DeFelice – Milwaukee Brewers
– Jesse Biddle – Atlanta Braves
– Joe Harvey – New York Yankees, Colorado Rockies
Our Recent Draftees:
– Darren Fischer – 46th by Los Angeles Angels
– Kenny Koplove – 17th round by Philadelphia Phillies
– Mark Donato -24th round by Kansas City Royals
– Melvin Mercedes – 16th round by Oakland Athletics
– Steel Russell – 26th round by Baltimore Orioles
– Joe Harvey – 19th round by New York Yankees
– Ryan Etsell – 14th round by Los Angeles Angels
– Tyler Young – 7th round by Tampa Bay Rays
– Jimmy Yezzo – 7th round by Washington Nationals
– Alex Kowalcyk – 12th round by Texas Rangers
– Ed Charlton – 23rd round by Cincinnati Reds
Some Our Past College Players:
– Slater McCue- Rutgers University
– Jesse Biddle- University of Oregon
– Jon McAllister- University of Maryland
– Jim Yezzo- University of Delaware
– Jeff Wiand- Lehigh University
– Mark Donato- Indian River JC
– Ed Rooney- Bryant University
– Ryan Etsell- Marshall University
– Jordan Hill- George Mason
– Andy Kirkland- UNC Ashville
– Tyler Young- Louisville University
– Daniel Santiago- Louisburg College
– Darren Fischer- Louisburg College
– Joe Harvey- University of Pittsburgh
– Steel Russell- Ohio State University
– Chet Godfrey- Felician College
– Melvin Mercedes- Central Florida
– Brian Ruditys- Quinnipiac University
– Ed Charlton – New Jersey Tech
– Ray Toto- George Mason
– Tomas Rivera- Central Florida
– Kenny Koplove- Duke University
– Brian Erb- Franklin and Marshall
– Demetrius Jennings- Wofford University
– Mike Fitzgerald- Northeastern University
– Alex Kowalczyk- Old Dominion University
– Nick Bateman- Winthrop University
– Collin McGee- Cornell University
– Ryan Dolan- United State Military Academy
– Paul Cotler- University of Penn.
– Joey Gorman- St. Joseph’s University
– Steve Volpe- College of New Jersey
– Chris Harvey- Vanderbilt University
– Mike Koplove- Northwestern University
– Kevin Baxter- Rutgers University
– Ricky Moses- Spartanburg
– Joey Armata- Neuman College
– Eric Close- West Chester University
– Nick Spaventa- University of Pennsylvania (verbal)
– Nick O’Brien- University of Pennsylvania (verbal)
– Reid Uccelo- Lehigh University (verbal)
– Raff Rogers Lehigh University (verbal)
– Mike Flax- The College of New Jersey
– Keith Flaherty- West Chester University
– Gianni Arici- Quinnipiac University
– Charlie Jerla- Marist College
– Dom Leuzzi- Monclair State University
– Shugy Klein- George Washington University
– Evan McCoach Rutgers (verbal)
Contact Information:
Email: phillyareabaseball@gmail.com