Erik Pappas

Erik Daniel Pappas

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 6' 0", Weight 190 lb.
• High School Mount Carmel High School (Chicago)
• Debut April 19, 1991
• Final Game April 30, 1994
• Born April 25, 1966 in Chicago, IL USA

BR page

Biographical Information

Erik Pappas represented Greece at the 2004 Athens Olympic Games. In the 2003 European Championship, he hit .481/~.533/.630 to help Greece finish second. He batted .358/.450/.400 for Greece in the 2005 European Championship to lead the team in average, OBP and RBI (3, tied with Jim Kavourias).

Pappas was drafted by the California Angels in the 1st round of the 1984 Amateur Draft from Mount Carmel High School (Chicago). He moved to the Chicago Cubs organization in late 1988 and made his major league debut with the Cubs on April 19, 1991. His stay with the Cubs was brief. In 1993-1994 he received more playing time with the St. Louis Cardinals. For his major league career, Pappas hit .242/.342/.298 while appearing in 104 games. He continued playing minor league ball until 1998.

After his playing career, Pappas stayed involved in baseball in the Chicago area. In 1998 he started a company called Baseball Alley to teach the sport to kids in Chicago's Morgan Park area and from 2006 to 2012 he coached at the Cangelosi Baseball Clinic. In addition, Pappas was a scout for the Texas Rangers from 2005-2009.

In 2013 the St. Louis Cardinals hired Pappas for their hitting coach position with the Peoria Chiefs. He moved up to the Springfield (MO) Cardinals for the 2014-2015 seasons. In two of his three seasons with St. Louis, his teams finished with the fewest strikeouts in their respective leagues. Pappas spent one final season coaching minor league hitters, this time in the Baltimore Orioles' chain with the 2016 Frederick Keys.

In 2023, he took the baseball world by surprise when he suited up for Greece for the 2023 European Championship at the age of 57 as a player/coach. It was more coaching than playing as he did not appear in a game.

Further Reading

• Michael Clair: "Former MLBer Erik Pappas is back and playing for Greece ... at 57 years old", mlb.com, September 25, 2023. [1]