Indiana University Athletics
Hoosier Minor League Report: Vasili Spanos
9/1/2005 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
Sept. 1, 2005
Throughout the history of Indiana baseball, a large contingent of Hoosiers have gone on to play at the professional level. There are currently 10 former IU standouts playing professional ball and in the upcoming weeks IUHOOSIERS.com will take a look at how each player is doing with their respective ballclubs.
After catching up with Texas Rangers' farmhand Kevin Mahar, Vasili Spanos is up next. In four seasons as a starter at third base for the Hoosiers, Spanos left his mark on the Indiana record book. He posted a career batting average of .365, which ranks ninth in school history, and a .673 slugging percentage, the second-best ever by a Hoosier. Spanos finished tied for third with 43 home runs and ranks sixth with 228 hits and fifth with 51 doubles and 100 extra-base hits. In addition, his 185 RBI are tied for third with 1992 College Baseball Triple Crown winner Mike Smith.
He earned first team All-Big Ten honors in both 2002 and 2003 in addition to being selected as an American Baseball Coaches' Association third team All-American as a junior and being named a preseason All-American prior to 2003. As a senior, Spanos led the Big Ten in batting average (.434), home runs (8), on-base percentage (.525) and slugging percentage (.778). He earned first team honors for the second straight season.
Spanos, a 6-1, 225-pound first and third baseman, was selected in the 11th round of the 2003 Major League Baseball First Year Player Draft by the Oakland Athletics and signed with the team on June 11, 2003. He has spent time with the Stockton Ports, Oakland's High-A affiliate, and the Midland RockHounds, Oakland's Double-A affiliate.
In 2005, Spanos has split time between Stockton and Midland, currently playing in Stockton. With the Ports (76 games), he has posted a .314 average (87-for-277) with nine home runs, 57 RBI, 51 runs, 21 doubles, four triples and 46 walks.
Playing in 43 games with Midland, the River Forest, Ill., native hit six homers in addition to 27 RBI, 20 runs and 12 bases on balls.
Overall in his two years (221 contests) with Oakland, the 24-year-old Spanos sports a hefty .297 batting average with 27 long balls, 166 RBI, 132 runs, 53 doubles, five triples, 113 walks and 17 stolen bases.
