Born April 25, 1966. 캡틴토토 Here’s a player who is in his mid-50s and still on the team’s roster. Born in 2004, he’s a whopping 38 years older than the youngest player on the team. Eric Pappas, 57, is a former Major League Baseball player.
Pappas is representing Greece at the 2023 European Baseball Championship in the Czech Republic. He wears the number 8 and is listed as a catcher and first baseman. He’s also on the coaching staff. He is playing as a first base coach.
In Group A, Greece faced Spain, the Czech Republic, and Austria. They lost their first game against Spain 1-14 on Aug. 25 (ET), followed by a 0-14 defeat at home to the Czech Republic on Aug. 26. The team realized their limitations after losing to Spain and the Czech Republic, two of the strongest teams in Europe. They battled back on the 27th to get their first win. It was an 11-6 win over Austria. Pappas did not play in all three games.
He joined the Los Angeles Angels in the 1984 draft and made his major league debut with the Chicago Cubs in 1991. In seven big league games that year, he went 3-for-17 with a .176 batting average. In 1993, he moved to the St. Louis Cardinals, where he played 82 games and batted .276. The following year, he batted .091 in 15 games for St. Louis. In his major league career, Pappas is 289-for-70 with a .242 batting average, one home run, 35 RBI, 34 runs scored, one stolen base, a .342 OPS and a .640 slugging percentage.
Pappas, who is of Greek descent, played in the minor leagues after leaving St. Louis and retired to pursue a career in coaching. After coaching, he was called up to the Greek National Team for the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens. He has since returned to the U.S. to coach baseball academies and professional teams, and was named to the Greek roster for the 2023 European Championships.
[Pappas with St. Louis (top), the Greek National Team 2023 roster of players and coaching staff (middle), and the Greek National Team players. Image via Getty Images, captured from the European Championships 2023 homepage]