Phillies draft South Philadelphia's Kenny Koplove in 17th round
It was an unbelievable moment, Kenny Koplove said. The South Philadelphia native was sitting with his parents around the computer on Wednesday, the final day of baseball's first-year player draft. He got a call from his adviser, telling him that the Phillies would draft Koplove in the 17th round.
It was an unbelievable moment, Kenny Koplove said. The South Philadelphia native was sitting with his parents around the computer on Wednesday, the final day of baseball's first-year player draft. He got a call from his adviser, telling him that the Phillies would draft Koplove in the 17th round.
"I put down the phone and a minute later it's on the board," the righthander said. "It's been a dream come true. It's hard to put it into words. When that opportunity came, it wasn't even a second thought."
Koplove, 21, starred at Penn Charter and spent the last three seasons at Duke, where he pitched and played shortstop. He will forgo his senior season to sign with the Phillies. Koplove lives in Packer Park and can see Citizens Bank Park from his driveway. He grew up a rabid fan. Koplove was in the stands when Roy Halladay threw his playoff no-hitter.
"I watched Jimmy Rollins play his entire career and grew up a Chase Utley fan. All of these guys are my sports heroes. They're in my backyard," Koplove said. "It's unbelievable just knowing that I'm going to have a chance. I'm with them now."
Koplove was the state's Gatorade player of the year as a senior at Penn Charter, where he blossomed into one of the area's best starting pitchers. Duke used him this season as its closer. He saved a school-record 11 games. The righthander threw with a three-quarters delivery and struck out 37 batters in 251/3 innings.
Koplove does not know what role he'll play with the Phillies. He said he'll do whatever they ask.
"Closing this year was one of the coolest experiences I've had playing," Koplove said. "It's all on you at the end of the game. Why else play the sport? That's pretty awesome."
Koplove's older brother, Mike, played seven major-league seasons as a sidearm reliever. He spent a spring with the Phillies and is now a scout with the Los Angeles Angels. Kenny Koplove was 5 years old when Arizona drafted his brother out of the University of Delaware. He does not remember much from that day. His earliest memory is rushing out of a restaurant when the family learned Mike had been called up to the majors.
"That was the first time I had a realization of what baseball was," Koplove said. "Sitting down now and having a full grasp of what it means to be drafted and how hard and difficult it is, it's pretty crazy."
Koplove and his father, Steve, celebrated his selection with hot dogs from Texas Wieners on Snyder Avenue. Koplove made his rounds and thanked people in the neighborhood who helped him along the way. He will report soon to Clearwater, Fla., where the Phillies will give him an introduction to the minor-league system. Koplove then will learn which minor-league team he will play for. It will be the start of an unbelievable journey.
Phillies Draft Picks
StartText
Pick Round Player School Pos.
10 1 Cornelius Randolph Griffin HS (Ga.) SS
48 2 Scott Kingery Arizona 2B
83 3 Luke Williams Dana Hills HS (Calif.) SS
114 4 Kyle Martin South Carolina 1B
144 5 Bailey Falter Chino Hills HS (Calif.) LHP
174 6 Tyler Gilbert Southern Cal LHP
204 7 Luke Leftwich Wofford College RHP
234 8 Greg Pickett Legend HS (Colo.) OF
264 9 Mark Laird Louisiana State OF
294 10 Joshua Tobias Florida 3B
324 11 Edgar Cabral Mt. San Antonio College C
354 12 Skylar Hunter The Citadel RHP
384 13 Zack Coppola South Dakota State CF
414 14 Austin Bossart Penn C
444 15 Dylan Bosheers Tennessee Tech SS
474 16 Brendon Hayden Virginia Tech 1B
504 17 Kenny Koplove Duke RHP
534 18 Greg Brodzinski Barry Univ. C
564 19 Robert Tasin Oklahoma RHP
594 20 Will Stewart Hazel Green High (Ala.) LHP
624 21 Kevin Walsh Univ. Arkansas - Pine Bluff RHP
654 22 Sutter McLoughlin Cal State - Sacramento RHP
684 23 Anthony Sequeira Oral Roberts RHP
714 24 Zach Morris Maryland LHP
744 25 Joseph Lauria UNLV RHP
774 26 Andrew Godail Sam Houston State LHP
804 27 Jake Reppert Northwest Nazarene College LHP
834 28 Horace Stubblefield West Alabama RHP
864 29 Von Watson Briarcrest Christian (Tenn.) OF
894 30 Kyle Nowlin Eastern Kentucky OF
924 31 Nick Fanti Hauppauge HS (N.Y.) LHP
954 32 Reggie Wilson Oklahoma City Univ. CF
984 33 Jacob Stevens Choate Rosemary Hall (Conn.) RHP
1014 34 Ben Pelletier Ecole Sec. De Montagne (Quebec) OF
1044 35 Andrew Amaro Univ. of Tampa OF
1074 36 Gabe Gonzalez Southern Nevada RHP
1104 37 Malcolm Grady Homewood Flossmoor HS (Ill.) RHP
1134 38 Beau Brundage Mill Creek HS (Ga.) SS
1164 39 Griffin Morandini Garnet Valley CF
1194 40 Thomas McCarthy Allentown (N.J.) 3B
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