Michael Paul Koplove (; born August 30, 1976) is an American professional baseball scout and former player. He pitched for the Arizona Diamondbacks and the Cleveland Indians. A sidearm relief pitcher, Koplove threw with a different arm angle than most pitchers. His arm angle was perpendicular to his body, which allowed his fastball to sink and his curveball and slider to stay on the same plane, making it appear to be a fastball. He won a bronze medal with Team USA in the 2008 Olympics. Early life Koplove was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He is the son of Steve (an attorney) and Lorraine Milito, and is half Jewish and half Christian. He is the older brother of Joey Criniti and minor league and Team Israel pitcher Kenny Koplove, who is 17 years younger. He also has three sisters; named Andrea and Erica and Franca. Koplove grew up in South Philadelphia and attended Chestnut Hill Academy in Philadelphia (where he was a first-team Philadelphia Daily News All-City selection as a senior) from which he graduated in 1995. After high school Koplove first attended Northwestern University for two years where he played shortstop and pitched, before transferring to the University of Delaware prior to his junior year. During his junior season at the University of Delaware, he helped lead the team to the 1998 America East Championship and the NCAA Atlantic II Regional. He was voted an Academic All American. He was drafted by the Arizona Diamondbacks in the 29th round of the 1998 Major League Baseball Draft. Playing career Arizona Diamondbacks (2001–06) He played for the Diamondbacks 2001 World Series championship team, for which he was 0–1 with a 3.60 ERA, but was not on the World Series roster. In , Koplove was 6–1 with a 3.36 ERA in 55 games, giving up only 47 hits in 61.2 innings (holding batters to a .213 batting average and a .276 slugging percentage; with men on base he was even stingier – .207/.228). In games that were late and close, he held batters to a .188 batting average. He was named the Diamondbacks 2002 Rookie of the Year. In , Koplove was 3–0 with a 2.14 ERA in 31 games. With runners in scoring position, he held batters to a .100 batting average, and a .133 slugging percentage, and he held the first batters he faced to a .074 batting average. He had