In baseball, sometimes the smallest moves are the ones that can have the biggest impact on a team.
For the St. Louis Cardinals, a decision to sign a diminutive infielder from the Los Angeles Angels in 2004 would be a move that would pay huge dividends down the road.
On December 23rd, 2004, the St. Louis Cardinals signed future World Series MVP David Eckstein.
On December 23rd, 2004, the St. Louis Cardinals agreed to a three-year deal worth $10.25 million with shortstop David Eckstein. This deal would keep him in St. Louis through the 2007 season.
“We felt this was the guy, the perfect fit for our club for a lot of reasons,” said the late Walt Jocketty at the time of David Eckstein’s signing. “For his personality, for the way he goes about playing the game. He’s a gamer through and through. He’s the kind of player St. Louis will embrace, and I think he will become a cult hero with our fans. He’s a hustler.”
Eckstein would reward Jocketty’s financial commitment with three years of a grind-it-out mentality and hard work that was unmatched on the team.
In 2004, the year before Eckstein signed with the Cardinals, he posted a slash line of .276/.339/.332 with 16 stolen bases and only two home runs. What he lacked in power he made up for in effort and determination. Eckstein struck out only 49 times in 2004 for a 7.7% strikeout rate, the 12th-best rate in baseball among qualified hitters that year.
Eckstein also committed only six errors that year for a .988 fielding percentage, the best clip among all qualified shortstops. This combination of strong defense, versatility, personality, and plate discipline was why Jocketty wanted Eckstein and why he believed the infielder could become a “cult hero” amongst the Cardinal faithful.
Cult hero he became indeed.
In his three years with the Cardinals, Eckstein slashed .297/.357/.375 for a .732 OPS, the highest he would post with any team during his career. He went to two All-Star Games while with the Cardinals, and he even received some down-ballot votes in 2005.
Eckstein’s defense slipped at shortstop in 2005 and 2007, but he was as stout as ever in 2006, the same year the Cardinals won the World Series.
David Eckstein created many memories for fans as a Cardinal. From his walk-off grand slam against the Atlanta Braves on August 7, 2005 to his 2006 World Series heroics to key bunts and scrappy baserunning, Eckstein truly became a cult hero for the St. Louis Cardinals in his brief time here.
Eckstein would have a slash line of .364/.391/.500 in the 2006 World Series to go along with four RBIs that year. He started the World Series off cold, but his three doubles in Game 4 proved that he could show up when it mattered most.
The Cardinals have always been known for their use of scrappy utility players. David Eckstein was the epitome of what it meant to be a grinder, and his contributions to the St. Louis Cardinals in three years became huge for the franchise. He has not ruled out receiving a red jacket down the road and becoming enshrined into the St. Louis Cardinals Hall of Fame. I think he’s more than worthy of this honor.