Skip to main content

PhoulBallz Interview: Reading OF Zach Coppola

Zach Coppola, image- Jay Floyd
Outfielder Zach Coppola has enjoyed some solid success this year in the Phillies developmental ranks.  The 23-year-old, who was a 13th round draft choice in 2015, opened the season with Class A Advanced Clearwater, where he batted .350 with a homer, 12 RBI and 10 steals in 55 games.  Following a promotion to Double-A Reading, the five-foot-10 160-pounder has tallied a .281 average with nine RBI and 10 stolen bases in 34 games. 

Recently, I talked with Zach about coaches who have made lasting impressions on him, his family, Reading Fightin Phils fans and more.  Read ahead for that full interview.

-It's been a great 2017 for you so far.  Hitting for high average, earning a promotion.  Talk about your success.

It's been a good year.  I'm just working hard, trying to stay consistent.  I think that's been my main goal.  But, yeah, it's been going well.

-What has been the difference for you?  'Cause last year you were with (Class A) Lakewood, missed some time with injury, you make it to Clearwater and jump another level to Double-A.  I think it's a pretty quick path to this level without missing a beat.  Do you notice significant differences between these levels you've played at?

I think as you go up the pitching gets better and better.  You know, their command, their off-speed are a little better, pitching backwards sometimes.  Pitching mainly, but other than that, they do a pretty good job preparing us for each level.

-Who has made a big impact on you from the Phillies system?  Is there a coach or a player that you've gained some insight from that has helped you a great deal?

I think just talking with (outfield coach Andy) Abad around here.  He's got so much knowledge and he shares it well with us, so it's always been cool to chat with him.

-Every now and again, I'll see an interaction on Twitter, people with your same last name liking or retweeting things I post about you.  They seem very supportive.  Can you talk about the backing of your loved ones a little bit?

My family's big into the Twitter world.  They show a lot of support.  It's awesome to see.  You know, seeing different retweets and stuff, it's all over my feed, when I see it.  Yeah, it's always great to have that support, especially with them behind you and them coming out to watch you play, so it's great to have that support.

-Through the lower levels there may be low attendance or just fans that don't have the same connection as the Reading crowds can have, as they're fans that grew up as Phillies fans.  Have you noticed a difference playing in front of that Reading crowd compared to the other levels?

Yeah, absolutely.  It's almost like you see the difference.  They're actual fans.  They're not just there...  Like, they care about the game and they care about what's going on during the game.  The fans there are so much more involved and it's crazy.  It's awesome.

-I know the Phillies are big on volunteering, whether it's Boy and Girls Clubs, or helping with a local youth league, or something like that.  What does it mean to you to help you the community there when you get the chance?

Yeah, they do a great job of giving us different opportunities to make it easy for us.  But we did something with special needs kids, playing a game in Reading and that was awesome.  Our whole team went and it was a cool experience to see them being able to play what we play, so it was fun.

-On that topic, I'll talk to guys that experienced some coaching from a pro or an older known player in their youth that made a big impression that lasted for some time.  Do you have a guy like that, who helped you?

My hitting coach back home, Mike Mahoney, he was with the Cubs for a while and it was always fun watching him and how he carried himself and seeing how he went about his business as a professional baseball player.  You know, you look up to him growing up and how he was a professional baseball player from Iowa, so you don't get that too often.  It was pretty cool to see and I still see him now when I get back home, so it's always cool to share stories and chat with him.

-Were there any players you watched on TV or in person as a young guy that you might have wanted to emulate?

Ichiro was always a player that I liked.  He could run, a small guy.  But, Brett Gardner right now.  Just players with my similar attributes.

-A couple guys on your team have drawn some attention.  You've got All-Stars like Carlos Tocci and Mitch Walding.  What's it like playing with those guys?

Oh, it's great.  You get on base with those guy behind you, it's pretty fun to watch.  Especially with the home runs coming and playing in Reading.  It's pretty fun.  Yeah, it's exciting.  

-Do you have memories from playing as a young guy of when you realized you might have the potential of making a career in the pro ranks?

It was mainly my junior year of high school.  I think our team had 13 or 14 Division 1 players and one draftee and I think we all became really close and now in the off-seasons we still hang out and work out together, some of us that are still playing.  And I think that was kind of when we all kind of realized that, "Hey, this could be our future!"  So, we all became really close and it's pretty cool.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Justin De Fratus Interview Excerpts- May, 2011

Armed with a 2-0 record, 3 saves and a 2.95 ERA in 15 games this season for the Double A Reading Phillies, Justin De Fratus continues to make strides toward his goal of reaching the Major Leagues. Ranked as a top 10 prospect within the Phillies system last off-season, the 23-year-old De Fratus was in camp with the Phillies during big league spring training. In 3 games with the Phils during the Grapefruit League season, De Fratus allowed 4 earned runs in 4 innings and took a loss. He did strike out an impressive 5 batters in those 4 frames, however. Drafted in the 11th round of the 2007 amateur draft, De Fratus stood out as a force in relief last year for both the High A Clearwater Threshers and the R-Phils. In 49 combined games at the two levels, De Fratus posted a 3-0 record with 21 saves and a 1.94 ERA. De Fratus continued his excellent 2011 by pitching for Team USA in the Pan-American qualifiers held in Puerto Rico, helping the Americans finish with a 9-1 record. He also posted out...

Bubby Rossman's long awaited MLB debut

Eight years after he initially signed a professional contract with the Dodgers and a five-year stretch playing away from affiliated ball, Bubby Rossman became a major leaguer on Wednesday. Added as a substitute for pitcher Kyle Gibson, who is restricted from travel to Canada for the Phillies' series in Toronto, due to his medical inability to be vaccinated from COVID-19, Rossman took the mound for the first time in the majors. Rossman, who was a 22nd round draft selection in 2014 had pitched in 200 professional games before his one-inning outing in the Phillies' 8-2 loss to the Blue Jays. In 27 appearances with Double-A Reading this year, the 30-year-old right-hander has performed well, tallying a 2-2 record with a save, a 3.32 ERA and a .200 batting average against.   The embedded video below features a media session with Rossman from prior to opening day this year, in which the California native discusses his journey through independent baseball and back to affiliated ball w...

Series Preview: Braves at Phillies, August 6-8

The Braves (62-46) travel to Philadelphia to begin a three-game series with the Phillies (49-59) on Monday night at Citizens Bank Park. In the past month, the two clubs have faced each other in two separate series, with the Braves winning all six of the contests. Atlanta’s recent dominance over the Phils is the opposite of how things went last season, when the Phillies handed the Braves six losses toward the end of the 2011 season. Those defeats shut the door on Atlanta’s postseason hopes. Read ahead for notes on the pitching the match ups and additional statistical information on this series. Monday, 7:05 PM. Ben Sheets (3-1, 1.46 ERA) vs. Vance Worley (6-6, 3.63 ERA). In 9 career starts against the Phillies, Sheets has a 3-4 record with a 4.50 ERA. Ty Wigginton is 12-for-36 (.333 avg) with 2 doubles and 2 HR in his career against Sheets. The righty Sheets was the Brewers' 1st round draft pick in 1999. In his last 5 starts, Worley has a 2-1 record with a 4.06 ERA. In 9 home s...