Kovel's career didn't start as easy as it did for his American, Canadian, Mexican, Carribean or Japanese teammates. He was born into poverty in Klodzko, Poland to his father who was a potato farmer and a homemaker mother. His younger years were spent in the potato field harvesting by hand with his father and older brothers, but it wasn't always hard work. The boys would sometimes play a very basic version of what we call baseball in North America.
Teos would harvest a rotton potato every now and again and challenge his brothers to hit it with the hoe they used to harvest the potatoes. They never could. This continued until a scout from Duke was vacationing in the area and noticed these kids in the field.
"The one Polack just had a wicked arm, nothing I had ever seen before in Eastern Europe, the epitomy of raw talent," scout Macsimillion Johnson told reporters. "I had to get this kid to America to harness his talent."
With that, Teos was on the next flight to the U.S. to give himself a better life.
His college career never got off the ground, his lowest ERA was in his freshman year where he went 2-5 with a 5.03 ERA.
He was drafted in 2010, in the 6th round by the Long Beach Havens. He appeared in 5 games with a 14.73 ERA. The next year was also a struggle for the Potato Farmer, going 10-12 with a 5.10 in Nantucket. He was then released that year and signed a minor league deal in January 2012 with the Pocatello organization.
This was a rebound year for Teos, he started the year in A-ball, going 6-4 with a 2.59 ERA in 12 starts which earned him a promotion to AA-ball where in 18 starts he went 4-5 with a 4.22 ERA.
In 2012 Teos appeared in 3 games before being released, he would never pitch again in 2013. Teos returned home, thinking he was a failure. He continued to farm with his father until he recieved a call from Canada.
Aaron Blank, GM of the world-renowned Baffin Island Beavers called and wanted Teos to return to baseball as a member of this storied franchise.
"Ja było więcej niż pobudzany robić to! (I was more than excited to do it)" Teos explained. It was like a dream come true to him.
"As many of you may not know, I am of Polish descent myself, so whenever I see raw talent like this from the old country, I just have to do something about it. With Teos, it was simple, he was a SP and we needed more in our minors. It just breaks my heart sometimes when these kids don't get a chance to make something of their life, so I do all that I can. We are even working something out with Teos to run baseball recruitment camps over there, although that is quite a ways from happeneing. But we're working on it.
Teos immediately made it to the rotation in AA Balzac with the Rams.
Teos is undefeated in his 12 starts going 9-0 with a 2.77 ERA 43 BB and 94 K.
"Teos has been awesome for this staff, he does anything he can to win, but he's also a prankster," explains manager Willis French
Kovel will continue to pitch in AA and hone his talents there, but a promotion may be in order. Although Teos isn't looking too far into the future. He knows his time could be limited so he is just happy to throw from the mound 60' 6" away from home plate.
