Philadelphia Wolves Baseball
3x League Champions
2X County Line Tournament Winners, NABA National American Division Tournament Champions.
Franchise History (2016-Present)
Originally founded in 2015/16 by former Coach Chuck Brenner (as the NEO Blue Jays), the Philadelphia Wolves were part of the Fairmount Park "A" League (formerly the Delaware Valley Semi Pro Baseball League) - comprised of a group of friends from Northeast Philadelphia. In 2017, manager/founder Robert Grabel re-branded the team into the Philadelphia Wolves - just narrowly missing the playoffs in Fairmount Park that year.
With the help of some great coaches and recruiters/teammates (such as Geoff Smith), the Philadelphia Wolves made their first playoff runs in 2018 & 19, only to be eliminated in the semi-finals - albeit, finishing with a winning record. More information found on our history team League Lineup Page. After taking a year off (2020) due to COVID, the team decided to pivot into the SJMSBL - getting their feet wet in fall ball (again, with a winning record but just falling short in the playoffs).
Destined to rid the demons of playoffs past, the Wolves joined Philadelphia Amateur Baseball in 2022 (a league with rich history and boasting teams with prior championship appearances and other league MVP winners - like the Kensington Royals). With captains Bruce Leto, Jr. & Robert Grabel - the Philadelphia Wolves won their first-ever championship (with the help of many talented original wolves - such as Joseph Mortimer, Patrick Medycki, Robert Grabel, Bruce Leto, Jr., Christopher McGuire, and David Fred) - featuring an undefeated 13-0 championship season.
More motivated than ever (and with newcomers such as Steven Gallagher, Robert Walmsley, George Klein, Ryan Austin, Greg Dellavecchio, and Sam Oliver) - the Wolves then won their second consecutive championship in fall ball for SJMSBL - 2022 (with a GWRBI season walk-off by Matt Edelman).
2023 was a season of resilience - featuring two "2" wins in county line tournaments (one at Villanova, defeating the previous semi-pro champions - the Philadelphia A's), a season record in regular season wins ("13") during summer semi-pro ball, finalist placing in a NABA Labor Day Tournament, and then - finally, peaking and winning their third consecutive championship in a mid-higher level division of SJMSBL Fall Ball on 11/12/23 against the Salem City Mugs.
In 2024, the Wolves opted out of the summer season (due to personal and familial circumstances, having nothing to do with the team); however, re-assembled for the National Adult Baseball Association Open Labor Day Tournament - boasting an impressive 4-1 overall record and a 3-1 American Championship Victory (with a re-match against Nutmeg State Baseball, whom they faced in the previous year).
Featured Franchise Accomplishments:
- Playoff Berth (Fairmount Park "A" League), 2018
- Semi-finalists (Fairmount Park "A" League), 2019
- Semi-finalists (SJMSBL, Fall), 2021
- Undefeated Championship Season, PAB 2022
- SJMSBL Fall Ball Championship, 2022
- County Line/Villanova University Tournament Winners, 2023
- County Line - Easter Charity Tournament Winners, 2023 (Wolves donated $500 to the Testicular Cancer Foundation)
- 1st Place Regular Season Finish, SJMSBL Semi-Pro Division, 2023
- Finalist Placing, National NABA Labor Day Tournament
- SJMSBL Fall Ball Championship, 2023
- NABA American Division Tournament NATIONAL CHAMPIONS, 2024
Team Championship Pictures
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Tournaments & Playing for a Cause.
In 2023, the Philadelphia Wolves secured two "2" tournament victories - the first in March at Villanova University in the fifth "5th" annual Baseball on County Line Tournament (with a score of 8-0 over the Philadelphia Athletics - with Patrick Dunn & Steve Gallagher named "MVP" and "Pitcher of the Tournament," respectively); and the second in the third "3rd" annual Easter Charity Tournament on County Line - with a score of 6-2 over the PFBL Fall Champions - Montco Phillies. As winners of the tournament, the Philadelphia Wolves chose to donate $500 to the Testicular Cancer Foundation - feature found on the Foundation's Instagram page.
Additionally, the Philadelphia Wolves took a leap (in September 2023) and entered into a national Labor Day Tournament, through NABA. Just falling short, the Philadelphia Wolves received Finalist Recognition in this highly accredited tournament - winning several games along the way and boasting the named Silver Slugger Recipient of the Tournament - Coach Bruce. Other features of the tournament: Greg Dellavecchio and Ricardo Tull, Jr. notching a handful of hits a piece, home runs by Enmanuel Yajure, James Crowley, and Noah Schneider; and, a complete game, 12-inning 3 run performance by team ace Steve Gallagher.
In 2024, the Wolves re-entered into the NABA Labor Day Tournament with an enhanced roster & returning players such as: Steven Gallagher, Bruce Leto Jr, Pat Dunn, Greg Dellavecchio, Zack Crosby, Adam Oddo, Pete Harper. Featuring aces Matt Valerio, Zack Crosby, and Steven Gallagher - the Wolves went 4-1 in the tournament, winning the National Adult Baseball Association American Division Championship over Nutmeg State 3-1. Steven Gallagher & Matt Valerio were named Most Outstanding Players in the Tournament, while Jeff Lagerman and Pat Dunn received Gold Glove Award honors by the Tournament. Ryan "Rabbit" Pollack & Adam Oddo also received recognition as "stand-out players" in the Tournament Championship game.
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