CADETS PLAYER DEVELOPMENT ACADEMY
For over 15 years the Cadets Player Development Academy has been working with players at all levels in Dutchess, Orange, Ulster, Rockland and Westchester County.
The goal of our program is to create a structured, disciplined and positive environment which allows our athletes to maximize their capabilities as baseball players. We strive to help develop confidence, mental toughness, and self-esteem in our players and help them to understand that their success is a direct result of their hard work. We hope they will cultivate lifelong friendships with their teammates; respect the game of baseball, their coaches, teammates, umpires and opponents; and prepare for future success in baseball.
Coach Angel Lugo opened the Cadets Player Development academy to share his knowledge and passion for the game at the completion of his professional baseball career.
He was drafted in 1988 by the Minnesota Twins as a shortstop, later transitioning to a pitcher with the Marlins and the Blue Jays. Before that he played for Grady High School in Brooklyn, NY, and was an All-City shortstop for three consecutive years.
In 2012, Coach Lugo was certified by Brent Pourciau for the Top Velocity Pitching Program and is now known as Brent's top instructor for the 3x Top Velocity Program. In 2013, he began coaching players in his Top Gun Pitching Program, D2 Catching Program, D467 Fielding Program and Zone it Up Hitting Program at CPDA. These programs have produced some of the area’s best players and top MLB prospects.
In 2014, Coach Lugo decided to bring his knowledge of player development to the field and created his travel baseball college prep teams, currently known as 5Star Metro NY/NJ.
In 2016, Coach Lugo was named New York State Coordinator for USA Baseball's North Atlantic NTIS. In 2017, he opened the Hudson Valley RBI program, which is dedicated to getting inner-city players back on the softball and baseball fields.
Coach Angel Lugo
Director of Player Development