David Mark Eckstein, (born January 20, 1975 in Sanford, Florida), is a Major League Baseball shortstop for the Toronto Blue Jays. He is noted for his size, as he is a small (for professional sports) 5' 7", but weighs 175 pounds. Eckstein's name is pronounced (ECK-styne) and means "cornerstone" in German. His "entrance music" is Ludacris's "Number One Spot" (appropriate since Eckstein usually bats as the leadoff hitter) and Crystal Method's "Busy Child".
MLB career
Eckstein was drafted by the Boston Red Sox in the 19th round of the 1997 amateur draft, and selected off waivers by the Anaheim Angels on August 16, 2000. He was a member of the 2002 World Series champion Anaheim Angels (now the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim), as well as the 2006 Champions, the St. Louis Cardinals, where he was selected 2006 World Series MVP. However, in several post-Series interviews, Eckstein said that he cannot use his prize, a Chevrolet Corvette Z06, because he does not know how to drive a manual transmission. He gave the car to his brother Rick. During his 2002 championship year, he led the major leagues with three grand slams, including grand slams in back-to-back games against the Toronto Blue Jays, one of which was a walk-off grand slam leading the Angels to complete the sweep over Toronto, at a time when the Angels were 7-14. After the sweep of the Jays, the Angeles went on to win 20 of their next 23 games.[1] The walk-off Grand Slam is seen as a turning point in the 2002 season for the Angels, propelling them to a World Series title.
At the end of the 2004 season, Eckstein was part of a "shortstop merry-go-round," in which three free agent shortstops swapped teams: Edgar Rentería went from the Cardinals to the Red Sox, Orlando Cabrera went from the Red Sox to the Angels, and Eckstein went from the Angels to the Cardinals.
In seven seasons, he has amassed 1,079 hits while batting .286. He was voted to the National League All-Star team in 2005, along with teammates Chris Carpenter, Albert Pujols, Jason Isringhausen and Jim Edmonds. He was a late addition to the 2006 All-Star team. In 3,772 regular season at-bats, Eckstein has struck out only 305 times, with a total of 22 in 2007.
Eckstein signing autographs before a May 30th game against the Astros in 2006Eckstein was a fan favorite in St. Louis, who considered him to be a "pesky" hitter (he chokes up on the bat about 2 inches).[citation needed] He is often pointed out for his resemblance (as a hitter) to former New York Mets and Philadelphia Phillies outfielder Lenny Dykstra.[citation needed]
One of Eckstein's more surprising feats, given his low home run numbers (30), is the fact that he hit grand slams in back-to-back games. On Mother's Day, May 14, 2006, Eckstein was one of more than 50 hitters who brandished a pink bat to benefit the Breast Cancer Foundation.
As a member of the 2006 World Series Champion St. Louis Cardinals, Eckstein was named the World Series MVP. Following a 1-11 start in the first 2 games of the World Series, Eckstein went 8 for 22 with 4 RBI and scored 3 runs in the series, including going 4-for-5 with three doubles in game 4.
Among collectors of baseball trading cards, Eckstein is known for his 2004 Topps baseball trading card. The card mistakenly features a picture of Adam Kennedy, not Eckstein, on the front, although all other aspects of the card are correct.[citation needed]
On November 5, 2007, David Eckstein became a free agent along with Kip Wells, Troy Percival, and Miguel Cairo.
On December 13, 2007, he signed a 1-year, $4.5 million contract with the Toronto Blue Jays.[2]
Selected MLB statistics
(through April 4, 2008)
Batting average .286
Hits 1,081
Doubles 161
Runs 558
Walks 279
OBP .351
Teams
Anaheim Angels (2001-2004)
St. Louis Cardinals (2005-2007)
Toronto Blue Jays (2008-present)