Alexander Cremidan (born January 15, 1981) is a former professional baseball pitcher. Cremidan played in the Arizona Diamondbacks minor league system from 2003 to 2005. He participated in the 2004 Summer Olympics as a member of Greece's baseball team.

Alex Cremidan
Pitcher
Born: (1981-01-15) January 15, 1981 (age 43)
San Diego, California
Bats: Left
Throws: Right

Baseball career

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While playing college baseball at the University of California, San Diego in 2002, Cremidan, the grandson of four Greece natives, joined the Greece national baseball team.[1] He pitched a no-hitter over Slovakia in the European pool B championship as the team prepared for the 2004 Summer Olympics as the host country.[2] During his junior year, he finished with a 7-2 win-loss record and was named to the All-California Collegiate Athletic Association second team. He struggled with injuries in his senior season, posting a 6.21 earned run average in 11 games.[3]

In June 2003, he was drafted in the 35th round of the Major League Baseball Draft by the Arizona Diamondbacks.[4] During his first minor league season in 2003, he pitched in 24 games in relief for the Missoula Osprey of the Pioneer League, ending the year with 15 saves and a 1.40 ERA.[5] Cremidan was pitching with the Midwest League's South Bend Silver Hawks in 2004 before rejoining the Greece national team in early August for the Olympics.[6][7] He pitched in four games during the tournament, as Greece failed to medal, finishing in seventh place.[8]

Following the Olympics, Cremidan returned to South Bend for the remainder of the season, ending the year with seven saves and a 3.27 ERA in 32 games.[5] He spent the 2005 season with the Lancaster JetHawks of the California League, appearing in 44 games in relief in what was his final professional season.[5]

References

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  1. ^ "Osprey reliever eyes 2004 Olympics". The Missoulian. June 27, 2003. p. 31. Retrieved February 20, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  2. ^ "Greek baseball no laughing matter". The Beaufort Gazette. August 6, 2002. p. 12. Retrieved February 20, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. ^ "Meet the Missoula Osprey". The Missoulian. June 22, 2003. p. 21. Retrieved February 20, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. ^ "Nippert twin among D-backs draft picks". The Missoulian. June 5, 2003. p. 32. Retrieved February 20, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. ^ a b c "Alex Cremidan at Baseball-Reference (Minors)". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved February 20, 2022.
  6. ^ Kopsea, Matt (August 1, 2004). "Silver Hawks, Lugnuts split". South Bend Tribune. p. B5. Retrieved February 21, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. ^ Kelly, Jason (August 1, 2004). "Cremidan takes Olympic detour". South Bend Tribune. p. D1. Retrieved February 21, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. ^ "Sports-Reference (Olympics)". Sports-Reference.com. Archived from the original on 3 December 2016. Retrieved February 21, 2022.
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