David Eckstein

David Mark Eckstein (born January 20, 1975) is an American former professional baseball infielder who played ten seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB). After playing college baseball at the University of Florida, he went on to suit up for the Anaheim Angels, St. Louis Cardinals, Toronto Blue Jays, Arizona Diamondbacks, and San Diego Padres. He earned the 2006 World Series Most Valuable Player Award. Following his playing days, he worked briefly as a special assistant in the Pittsburgh Pirates operations department. At 5' 7", Eckstein was the shortest active player in the majors throughout his career.

Eckstein played all four years of high school baseball at Seminole High School in Sanford, Florida, where he was a two-time all-state selection and helped the team win a state championship. He also belonged to the National Honor Society and the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, and his classmates voted him "Most Helpful" in the Class of 1993. Outside of school, he played American Legion Baseball for Post 53.

At the University of Florida, Eckstein walked on to coach Joe Arnold's Gators baseball team in the fall of 1994 and later earned an athletic scholarship. He was a first-team All-SEC pick in 1995 and 1996, a first-team All-American in 1996, a three-time SEC Academic Honor Roll member (1995–1997), and the first two-time Academic All-American in Gators baseball history. He was part of the 1996 Gators squad that finished third at the College World Series, and he was inducted into the University of Florida Athletic Hall of Fame as a "Gator Great" in 2007. At Florida, he played alongside his older brother, Rick. He also played for the Harrisonburg Turks of the Valley Baseball League in Harrisonburg, Virginia.

The Boston Red Sox drafted Eckstein in the 19th round of the 1997 MLB draft. He spent four years in their minor league system, reaching Triple-A in 2000, before Boston designated him for assignment on August 14. Two days later, the Anaheim Angels claimed him off waivers. He finished the 2000 season with the Angels' Triple-A affiliate, the Edmonton Trappers, hitting .346 with three home runs and eight RBIs in just 15 games.

Eckstein earned a spring training call-up in 2001 and made the Angels' Opening Day roster. He debuted on April 3, 2001, against the Texas Rangers, starting at second base and going 1-for-3 with his first hit off Kenny Rogers. Over the first month, he appeared in 28 of the Angels' 31 games, batting .318 with one home run, which earned him the full-time shortstop job for the rest of the season. He finished his rookie campaign hitting .285 with four home runs and 41 RBIs in 153 games, placing fourth in American League Rookie of the Year voting behind Ichiro Suzuki, C.C. Sabathia, and Alfonso Soriano.

During the Angels' 2002 championship season, Eckstein led the majors with three grand slams, including back-to-back grand slams against the Toronto Blue Jays—one a game-winner that completed a sweep when the Angels were 7–14. After that sweep, the Angels won 20 of their next 23 games. That season, he hit .293 with eight home runs and 63 RBIs in 152 games, leading MLB in hit by pitches (27) and sacrifice hits (14). He tied for 11th in AL MVP voting with 24 votes, alongside Nomar Garciaparra.

In 2003, Eckstein slumped to .252 with three home runs and 31 RBIs as the Angels missed the postseason. He hit .272 with two home runs and 35 RBIs in 2004, but the Angels won the AL West and were swept in three games by the Boston Red Sox in the ALDS, where Eckstein batted .333 in 12 at-bats.

After the 2004 season, Eckstein was part of a "shortstop merry-go-round": Édgar Rentería moved from the Cardinals to the Red Sox, Orlando Cabrera went from the Red Sox to the Angels, and Eckstein signed a three-year, $10.25 million contract with the Cardinals on December 23, 2004. Over his first seven seasons, he collected 1,079 hits while batting .286. He was named to the National League All-Star team in 2005 alongside Chris Carpenter, Albert Pujols, Jason Isringhausen, and Jim Edmonds, and he was a late addition to the 2006 All-Star team. In 3,772 regular-season at-bats, he struck out only 305 times, with just 22 in 2007.

A fan favorite in St. Louis, Eckstein was considered a "pesky" hitter who choked up on the bat about two inches. On Mother's Day, May 14, 2006, he was among more than 50 hitters who used a pink bat to benefit the Breast Cancer Foundation. As a member of the 2006 World Series champion Cardinals, Eckstein was named World Series MVP. After going 0-for-11 in the first two games, he went 8-for-22 with four RBIs and three runs scored in the series, including a 4-for-5 performance with three doubles in Game 4. The championship made him one of the few starting shortstops to win a World Series in both the American and National Leagues.