Nick Theodorou

Nicholas Anthony Theodorou

• Bats Both, Throws Right
• Height 5' 11", Weight 180 lb.
• School UCLA
• High School Eisenhower High School
• Born June 7, 1975 in San Bernardino, CA USA

BR Minors page

Biographical information

Nick Theodorou is a former minor league baseball outfielder/infielder who played from 1998 to 2005 in the Los Angeles Dodgers system. He grew up in Rialto, CA and graduated from UCLA in 1998 with a degree in history. [1]

He was a very versatile fielder, spending considerable amounts of time in the outfield, second base, shortstop and third base - even playing some catcher.

Theodorou hit .314 with 46 runs as a part-time outfielder and DH for UCLA in 1996; two of the outfield slots belonged to Eric Byrnes and Eric Valent, limiting his playing time. Theodorou moved to second base in 1997 and batted .365 for the #5 team in NCAA Division I; he was third among their regulars in average behind Troy Glaus and Pete Zamora and ahead of Byrnes and Valent. UCLA made it to the 1997 College World Series. In 1998, both Theodorou and UCLA struggled; the team finished under .500 despite Byrnes, Valent, Chase Utley and Garrett Atkins.

He was drafted by the Dodgers in the 27th round (816th overall) of the 1998 draft, with a $1,500 signing bonus [2].

Theodorou started his professional career in 1998. Playing for the Yakima Bears that year, he hit .278/~.396/.368 in 46 games, hitting zero home runs and driving 11 runs in but drawing 26 walks as a 2B-OF.

He spent his entire 1999 season with the San Bernardino Stampede, hitting .310/~.426/.363 with no home runs and 44 RBI. He stole 14 bases; however he was caught 14 times as well. Theodorou had a good eye at the plate - he walked 72 times and struck out only 62 times in 355 at-bats (his 72 walks were second on the team to Chin-Feng Chen's 75). He mainly played outfield that year.

During the 2000 season, while playing for the San Antonio Missions, Theodorou averaged less than three at-bats per game - in 113 games, he collected only 266 at-bats. He hit only .241/.357/.327 that year with 25 RBI, 49 walks and 39 strikeouts. One bright spot is he did hit his first professional home run in 2000. He was again primarily an otufielder, playing 87 games there, third on the team, but appeared at every position except pitcher.

In 2001, Theodorou spent time with the Vero Beach Dodgers, Jacksonville Suns and Las Vegas 51s, with the majority of his time being spent with the Suns (55 games). Combined, he played in 64 times but had only 120 at-bats. He hit .250 with no home runs and 12 RBI; however he did walk 33 times and strikeout only 20 times.

It's never a good thing when even in the minors you're relegated to pinch hitting/utility player duties, and that is entirely what Theodorou was becoming - a pinch hitter/utility player. In 2002, he played in 75 games for the Suns and two games for the 51s, combined hitting only .232 in 198 at-bats. He walked 39 times and struck out only 29 times.

Theodorou played in a total of 59 games in 2003, splitting time between the Suns and 51s. He hit .272 with 28 walks and 30 strikeouts in 151 at-bats. In the 2003 European Championship, Theodorou played for the Greek national team and hit .333/~.405/.424 with 8 runs in 8 games. He was second on the team in runs. The Greek team won the Silver Medal in the European Championship that year.

In 89 games for the 51s in 2004, Theodorou collected 83 in 294 at-bats for a .282 batting average. He hit four home runs with 32 RBI, walking 36 times and striking out 36 times.

He was also on the Greek roster for the 2004 Olympics, which were held in Athens, Greece. He went 1 for 8 in the Olympics with six walks and a stolen base. He made three errors in six games at second base for a .870 fielding percentage. Despite his many walks, he failed to score a run. He tied David Nilsson for third in the event in walks, trailing Danny Klassen and Pete LaForest.

2005 was Theodorou's final professional season. In 97 games for the 51s, he collected 66 hits in 262 at-bats for a .252/.336/.324 batting line. He hit one home run, drove in 23 runs, walked 30 times and struck out 43 times. Playing every position except first base and pitcher, Nick did fare well against left-handed pitchers, batting .299 against them but only .224 against right-handers.

He was signed by the Pittsburgh Pirates in early 2006 but was released just a couple of months later.

Overall, Theodorou played in 649 games in the minors. In 1,779 at-bats, he collected 477 hits for a .268 batting average. He hit 83 doubles, 13 triples and six home runs, scoring 260 runs and driving in 183. He stole 47 bases and was caught 33 times for a 58.8% success rate. He walked 313 times and struck out 285 times.

References

• The Baseball Cube
• 2003 European Championship stats
• 1997-2002 and 2006 Baseball Almanacs
• IBAF site