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Wednesday, November 15, 2017

Kevin Yianacopolus, Highest Ability - 31

Kevin Yianacopolus start at Stoneham High School in Massachusetts and eventually made it briefly to the pros. In 2013, he returned to Stoneham as the school's head baseball coach.

After the appointment, Yianacopolus told the local Patch that his team would focus on the basics.

"Playing fundamentally sound baseball and teaching our players to compete at their highest ability is what will make us competitive," Yianacopolus told Patch.

Yianacopolus' highest ability took him from Stoneham to college and then the pros. His ability, however, only got him a single professional season. That ability then showed itself in other ways, as a longtime high school coach.

Yianacopolus' career began and ended in 1990, signed by the Mariners as an undrafted free agent out of the University of Maine. His name is also spelled Kevin Yianacopolos.

At Stoneham, Yianacopolus played baseball, football and basketball. He quarterbacked the football team and pitched for the baseball team. He struck out 19 in one senior-year game. He made the school Hall of Fame in 2012.

After heading to Bridgton Academy and Maine, Yianacopolus turned pro with the Mariners.

Assigned to short-season Bellingham, Yanacopolus got into 23 games in relief. He gave up a home run in a July game. Overall, he went 2-5, with a 4.46 ERA. Those stats marked the extent of his pro career.

Yianacopolus then returned to Massachusetts and eventually took a job as assistant coach at Lexington High School there. He then returned to Stoneham in 2011. He continued there as head baseball coach and assistant football coach in 2017.

He took over at Stoneham from longtime coach Bill Seabury.

"It's nice to be back and to give back," Yianacopolus told Boston.com in 2013. "At Stoneham, we've only had three coaches in the past 70 years so it's quite an honor to get the job and hopefully stay."
1990 Minor League Tally
Players/Coaches Featured: 2,812
Made the Majors:1,065-37.9%
Never Made Majors:1,747-62.1%-X
5+ Seasons in the Majors: 443
10+ Seasons in the Minors:266

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