On the Retirement of David Eckstein
By Kyle Davis
Update: Ken Rosenthal is reporting that Eckstein may not be, in fact, retired after all. So, so scrappy of him. I’m skeptical of the chance that “the right opportunity arises,” but you just never know, do you?
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David Eckstein retired from baseball on Sunday, putting an end to a decade-long career that included time spent with five Major League teams, two All-Star selections, two World Series championships, and a World Series MVP award. Not bad for a short guy from Florida.
It’s impossible to talk about David Eckstein without entering the realm of the mystical, so let’s start with some numbers and slip deeper into the abyss from there. Hitting a career .281/.345/.355, Eckstein coupled a decent hitting approach with almost non-existent power to the tune of an OPS+ mark of 87, where 100 marks league average. Luckily for Eckstein, he didn’t make his money at the plate. Spending the bulk of his career at the ever scarce shortstop position, the majority of Eckstein’s worth comes as a result of where he played on the diamond, and how often he was able to play it.
Defensive statistics can be somewhat fickle and problematic, but when it comes to Eckstein, we have the luxury of a bit of consensus. No matter if you prefer Total Zone or UZR, both measures agree that David was decidedly average, a completely acceptable thing when you’re playing one of the more demanding defensive positions in baseball. By staying on the field for more than 140 games four times in his first five seasons, Eckstein was able to compile a good chunk of value simply by virtue of not sucking. His career WAR totals of 21.3 and 19.0 from Baseball-Reference and Fangraphs paint the statistical portrait of a respectable player who gave back more than he took away.
Of course, we really can’t stop there, can we? A sober reflection on the career statistics and accomplishments of David Eckstein, while perhaps moderately interesting, really isn’t much fun at all. To the baseball enthusiast, it’s no secret that Eckstein has become something of a lightning rod when it comes to player evaluation. He’s become a symbol. A line in the sand.
Some look at Eckstein’s career triple-slash line, his defensive statistics, his WAR totals, and they do not see the player I described above as “acceptable” and “respectable.” No, they shift their focus to more romantic things such as the All-Star games and World Series wins and their memories of how he played the game, and they see a player who transcends the box score, who brings wins to his team in ways unquantifiable. Over the course of his career, David Eckstein somehow became the MLB poster-boy for contributions to the team beyond athletic performance. He became a gamer who plays baseball the right way and just knows how to win. He brought grit and hustle and determination to the field every single game and as a result, unheralded leadership, setting an example for every one around him. Some really wacky stuff is bound to be written if and when Eckstein makes the Hall of Fame ballot in the coming years. I don’t know how all of this evolved or why David Eckstein was chosen for this role. I assume it might have something to do with his physical appearance. Call me crazy. What I do know is that these debates and disagreements are endlessly fascinating and make baseball discussion the better for them. Asking tough questions leads to interesting answers. Closing the discrepancies between what we see with our eyes and what shows up in the numbers leaves us closer to the truth. David Eckstein, the beautiful little bastard, brought these kind of thought exercises to our attention. He spawned some really lazy sports writing and also maybe some of the best. He was an intriguing dude, if nothing else.
I’ll remember David Eckstein the symbol and David Eckstein the ballplayer. Both are worthy of consideration. Playing ten years in the Major Leagues is no small feat, no matter how tall you are. It’s easy for me to look up a player profile and forget how good you have to be at baseball in order to play it at the highest level. Even the worst utility infielders and least effective middle relievers have a ridiculous amount of talent and determination. They’re better at baseball than just about everyone else in the world. And David Eckstein was better than that. I’ll remember that he was probably overrated by the Rick Reilly’s and Jon Heyman’s of the world, but that he also won the World Series two times. And I’ll remember that he lead the league in Sacrifice Hits and HPB’s in both of his first two professional seasons. Because of course he did.