Tuesday, April 27, 2004 | 9:23 a.m.
A team doesn't usually need a benchwarmer when it's 115 degrees, but Nick Theodorou fit that role last year for the Las Vegas 51s.
Theodorou spent the bulk of the 2003 season occasionally pinch-hitting for Las Vegas, and was better known for his time away from the team -- when he helped the Greek baseball team qualify for the 2004 Olympics -- than for his time with the team, when he hit .188 in 32 at-bats.
This season, Theodorou has been anything but the bench warmer for the 51s, hitting .307 with 52 at-bats in 16 games. He was 3-for-6 with two RBIs in Las Vegas' 9-8 loss in 10 innings to Sacramento on Monday night at Cashman Field.
Theodorou, 28, said his turnaround this season started last year, when his lack of playing time translated into extensive time to learn from hitting coach George Hendrick.
"The time I got to sit and not play, it renewed my fervor for the game and my ability to play," Theodorou said.
So Theodorou had plenty of fervor when he left for Europe in July, for a two-week stint with the Greek national team in its qualifying matches in the Netherlands. Theodorou said his practice with the 51s translated into success at the Olympic qualifier.
He then rejoined the 51s in a series at Edmonton, going 6-for-8 in what he thought was a trend of regular play.
Instead, Theodorou was sent down to Double-A Jacksonville to make room for disgruntled Dodger Daryle Ward. In 36 games with the Suns, Theodorou hit .294.
"I got around 150 at-bats in Jacksonville, and it stuck with me in the offseason, in spring training, and through now," he said.
Through the winter, Theodorou took a month off to substitute teach in San Bernardino, something he's done after graduating from UCLA with his degree in history.
On the field, Theodorou has always been strong defensively, only committing 38 errors in six years in the minors. But despite starting the year with Las Vegas, Theodorou got little respect from manager John Shoemaker.
"Shoe has seen me for about five years. He knew I was a good glove man. I could swing the bat OK, but he had a preconceived notion of what I could and couldn't do... that's not a bad thing," he said. "Terry Kennedy's new. He's got a new perspective on everybody, so I started with a clean slate."
"He's getting chances because he's been successful. He's had his chances, and now he's taking advantage of it," Kennedy said, adding that Theodorou still has a few things he'd like him to work on.
"He could swing the bat better in the 10th," Kennedy joked, referring to Theodorou's leadoff at-bat in the 10th inning which could have tied the game.
Theodorou said it's important for him to get at-bats, so that he feels less pressure to perform in individual trips to the plate. When playing in only certain situations, there's tremendous pressure to get a hit, creating a sort of performance anxiety that usually resulted in a poor at bat.
"Now I'm more relaxed. I know I've worked on all the things I have to work on," he said. "If I have a bad day, I know I can make up for it the next day."
Now, Theodorou thinks he's a more well-rounded player, and while he doesn't expect to see any playing time with the Dodgers -- he is not on the team's 40-man roster -- he does hope the big-league club does take notice of his performance at Las Vegas.
"Hopefully L.A. sees it and realizes I'm a good baseball player, and I know how to play the game," he said. "I'll keep doing what I'm doing."
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