New Baseball Facility Aims to Help Kids Have Fun

Tony Gomez, owner of the MVP Sports Complex, a baseball training facility that recently opened on South Pinellas Avenue in Tarpon Springs, wants people to know that his place is not just for players who want to make it to the major leagues. 

Although Gomez and director Steve Kulyk manage five travel teams as well as the Palm Harbor Little League major division squad, they stress the fact that baseball should always remain a fun activity for kids, not a job or routine they can get tired of quickly. 

That’s why their new 4,000-square-foot facility features a lounge, complete with WiFi, flat-screen TVs, leather couches and three Xbox consoles — so parents, players and their siblings can relax, have fun and enjoy the entire MVP experience together. 

“I’ve been coaching baseball for a long time,” said Gomez, whose 12-year-old son is an active participant on area teams. “I’ve noticed that a lot of kids don’t smile half the time. They act like playing baseball is a chore.” 

“They have to have fun,” Kulyk added. “When it becomes a job, they’re not having fun, and they’re going to lose interest in the sport.” 

While having fun should always be a requirement for Little League-aged kids, Gomez and Kulyk realize that many players are serious about the game because they hope to make it to the next level — high school and college ball, or even the major leagues.

In that respect, MVP is a first-rate training facility, featuring three batting cages with pro-style pitching machines, a number of private and group clinics, and a variety of camps, all designed to help young players get better. 

“One of the great things about us is our machines, and our lessons,” Gomez said. “Hopefully kids will get a better understanding of the game and improve their fundamentals with us.” 

Gomez, who opened the facility with his brother in February following a year of construction, hopes to add softball, dodgeball and cheerleading at the complex in the near future; he says he knew there was a void in the area for this type of place, and he and his brother were determined to fill it. 

Despite having hands full with his coaching duties plus his full-time job as owner of an employment background screening company, Gomez still has big plans for the future. 

“I’d like this place to become a staple of the community, a place where parents can bring their kids and know they will be safe and have fun," he said.

“Then maybe I will think about opening another one.”

MVP Sports Complex

Address: 1885 S. Pinellas Ave., Tarpon Springs

Phone: 727-938-4487

Hours: 10 a.m.-8 p.m. Monday-Friday; 9 a.m.-6 p.m. Saturday; 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Sunday