Erik Pappas | |
---|---|
Catcher | |
Born: Chicago, Illinois, U.S. | April 25, 1966|
Batted: Right Threw: Right | |
MLB debut | |
April 19, 1991, for the Chicago Cubs | |
Last MLB appearance | |
April 30, 1994, for the St. Louis Cardinals | |
MLB statistics | |
Batting average | .242 |
Home runs | 1 |
Runs batted in | 35 |
Teams | |
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Erik Daniel Pappas (born April 25, 1966) is an American former professional baseball player and coach. [1] He played as a catcher in Major League Baseball for the Chicago Cubs and St. Louis Cardinals.
The Chicago native is a 1984 graduate of Mount Carmel High School. [2] Pappas was selected by the California Angels as the 6th overall pick in the first round of the 1984 Major League Baseball draft. [3] He made his major league debut with the Chicago Cubs on April 19, 1991, at the age of 24. [1] He appeared in 8 games for the Cubs during the 1991 season and appeared in a total of 97 games for the Cardinals during 1993 and 1994 seasons. [1] During the 1993 season, he had one home run and 28 RBIs. Pappas played in his final major league game on April 30, 1994, at the age of 28. [1] On August 13, 1996, while a member of the Texas Rangers' Triple-A Oklahoma City 89ers, Pappas caught a perfect game pitched by Rick Helling against the Nashville Sounds. [4]
Pappas, who is of Greek ancestry, was selected to play for the Greek national baseball team in the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, Greece.[ citation needed] He played for Greece in the 2023 European Baseball Championship. [5]
In a three-year major league career, Pappas played in 104 games, accumulating 70 hits in 289 at bats for a .242 career batting average along with 1 home run, 35 runs batted in and a .342 on-base percentage. [1] He ended his career with a .978 fielding percentage. [1]
After his playing career, Pappas became the hitting coach for the Peoria Chiefs. Pappas spent 2006–12 at the Cangelosi Baseball Academy in Orland Park, Illinois, while also serving as a scout for the Texas Rangers from 2005 to 2009. Pappas became a coach in the Cardinals system as the Springfield Cardinals Hitting Coach for the 2014 season.
Pappas currently resides in the Beverly neighborhood in Chicago, Illinois.