Honest Andreopoulos a valuable confidant for Jays pitchers

Former Etobicoke Rangers C Alex Andreopoulos throws pregame batting practice to Toronto Blue Jays hitters. After 16 years and thousands of pitches, he jokes that he can barely lift his arm at the end of the season. Photo: J.P. Antonacci

October 30, 2019

By J.P. Antonacci

Canadian Baseball Network

They may be short on major league experience, but Toronto’s stable of young pitchers can count on one veteran presence – bullpen catcher Alex Andreopoulos.

Over his 16 years as practice catcher and confidant, Andreopoulos has caught a lot of pitches and fielded almost as many questions.

“Whenever we warm up, they always ask me after, how was it? How was my stuff? And I’m always honest with the guys,” he said.

“You know, they’re younger, they’re hungry, they want to learn, they want to do better. So they ask me, they ask the pitching coaches. And that’s what we’re here for – we’re here to help and always be there for the guys.”

Pitchers meet the amiable Toronto-born catcher as soon as they get to Dunedin for spring training, and the bond deepens until the fall.

“Year round, from day one. We’re here all day, every day. I see these guys more than I see my own family,” Andreopoulos said. “And just like a family, you have your ups and downs. Sometimes guys don’t really want to hear the truth or what you want to say. But they appreciate it.”

In his rookie season with Toronto, starter Trent Thornton found a loyal ally in Andreopoulos, a sure-handed receiver who at some point during his three decades in professional baseball picked up the teasing nickname “Drop.”

“Drop’s awesome. He’s one of the most valuable pieces of this team,” Thornton said.

“I love him. I think he works extremely hard. He’s in every single guy’s corner, he’s pulling for them – whatever they need, he’s got them. He’s the real deal. You can ask anyone else and they’re going to say the same thing. He’s truly rooting for you and your success.”

Thornton said Andreopoulos’ unvarnished feedback has made him a better pitcher.

“When we throw sides, he’s pretty honest with us. He’ll be critical. And that’s what you need, because sometimes you’re not where you should be and you can’t see it, but he can. He’s going to let you know. I think the honesty is key,” Thornton said.

Toronto Blue Jays bullpen catcher Alex Andreopoulos (centre) shares a laugh with pitching coach Pete Walker (right) and a couple players before a game at Rogers Centre. Photo: J.P. Antonacci

Andreopoulos sees his job as part catcher, part psychologist.

“You learn guys as you get to know them from spring training – whose buttons to push, who you can talk to certain ways,” he said. “That’s also a learning process every year with everybody. No one’s ever the same.”

And much like a psychologist, Andreopoulos always has time for a player who needs to talk.

“I’m the bullpen catcher. I’m not on the (coaching) staff, I’m not a player. I’m in that grey area. So I do get a lot of guys who will come to me with some stuff,” he said, describing how players turn to him as a sounding board and a safe space to vent their frustrations.

“I do a lot more behind the scenes. I hear a lot, I take in a lot, and I don’t put it back out there. There’s trust and respect. What I’m told, what I hear, it’s between me and that person, and that’s it,” Andreopoulos said.

“That’s where the trust and relationship builds. Guys respect me for that, I think. They know they can come to me with whatever, anything, and I’ll try to help them as much as I can.”

Reliever Derek Law said Andreopoulos helped him acclimatize to a new city when he arrived in a mid-season trade with San Francisco as part of the return for outfielder Kevin Pillar.

“He’s kinda been my go-to for everything,” Law said.

“If I need a good place for dinner for me and my family, something like that, he’s that guy. Obviously, we’re spending the most time together out in the bullpen, so I’m picking his brain on things around the city, things to do. Just in general, everything I know about Toronto (is from him). He really knows everything and anything about Toronto and the Blue Jays.”

Andreopoulos’ generosity with his knowledge fits with how he goes about his business at the ballpark, Law added.

“On the field, he’s always there. You walk outside and he’s already ready to play catch or do whatever you need,” Law said. “And I know he throws batting practice too. He’s constantly moving around. He’s never just sitting at his chair over at his locker.”

It’s not unusual to see Andreopoulos sharing a laugh with coaches and players on the sidelines before heading to the mound to toss BP. He can spare a minute to chat because by that point in the day, he’s already arranged the bullpen equipment and rubbed a selection of baseballs with mud so they’re ready for relievers to use when the call comes to warm up.

Speaking of which, Andreopoulos says that after so many years in the pen, he has developed a sixth sense about when the phone will ring.

“Oh yeah. It’s weird, but being down there, you kinda know,” he said. “You get the feel of the game, the situations, and you have the list of who might pitch that night. You don’t always know, but for the most part you know what’s going to happen.”

Andreopoulos has always had his head in the game, even as a high schooler catching at Toronto’s Harbord Collegiate. He earned a scholarship to Seton Hall University in New Jersey and was a four-time Big East all-star before Milwaukee selected him in the 17th round of the 1995 draft.

He batted .288 in 525 minor league games over eight seasons, joining the Jays as the interim bullpen catcher when he was cut from the Montreal Expos Triple-A affiliate, the Ottawa Lynx, in August 2002. After that season he decided to call it quits on his playing career and stick with Toronto full time.

Fellow catcher Danny Jansen can appreciate the physical toll Andreopoulos has endured over his long career.

“He’s got passion for the game, man. It’s not an easy job,” Jansen said. “He’s always rubbing up the balls, he’s doing a lot of other stuff too, other than being the bullpen catcher, which in itself is a grind. It shows a lot of passion. Everybody loves having him around. He’s an awesome, genuine dude.”

Young players like Jansen tend to gravitate to Andreopoulos, an elder statesman with the club who has witnessed Toronto’s ups and downs at field level.

“I remember when I first came up and in spring training, I would always go to him because there’s so much comfort talking to him,” Jansen said.

“He would show belief in me and say, ‘You got it, man. Just keep doing what you’re doing.’ That made me just trust the guy. He has so much insight into the game and he’s been around for such a long time. He’s been here when the team was very successful. He’s seen it, he’s done it, and I’ll have questions for him and go to him. He’s just very knowledgeable about the game.”

Andreopoulos is glad to share his knowledge and feels grateful to still be in the big leagues after all these years, for the friendships made and a life spent at the ballpark in his hometown.

“I have the best job in the world,” he said.

It’s a job he considers especially exciting these days as a promising young team begins to round into form.

“We do have a lot of young guys, and it makes it actually fun. Nothing against nobody else, but just the energy, having all the young guys around, it’s nice,” he said.

“That’s the cycle of baseball, though. We’re in that cycle now, and it’s good, man. With a lot of young guys here, not just on the pitching staff, position-wise, everybody, the whole team. It’s going to be nice to see these guys all grow together.”