What is the fascination with David Eckstein?

[TheSportsPredictor]

David Eckstein: 2 World Series rings
A-Rod: 0 World Series rings

David Eckstein is TWICE the player A-Rod is.

 

[Appgrad05]

David Eckstein: 2 World Series rings
A-Rod: 0 World Series rings

David Eckstein is TWICE the player A-Rod is.

this made me laugh out loud.

 

[LiveStrong]

David Eckstein: 2 World Series rings
A-Rod: 0 World Series rings

David Eckstein is TWICE the player A-Rod is.

uh, so if A-Rod wins a ring next year, Eckstein will be ... twice the player A-Rod is?

 

[Sea Bass]

Eckstein's a below-average MLB player, but people love him because he's small, and white, which causes them to make up shirt about his ability.

You really think he's below average? Below average power numbers, sure. But as a player? I think that's harsh.

He's got a lifetime average of .283, and has hit .276 or higher in five of his six seasons. Two all-star games, with both of them being manager's selections. He's been the leadoff man on four playoff teams in six seasons. Say what you want about him, but a below-average player doesn't get this stuff done.

 

[EStreetJoe]

I think he's a decent player, nothing less, nothing more.

Eckstein is a decent player with two World Series rings. If he played in New York, he'd already have his jersey retired and be in line for the Hall of Fame.

If he played in NY (for the Yankees), he would've been converted to third base for a few seasons. Then after the Yankees signed A-Rod to make sure the Red Sox don't get him, he would have been converted to a utility player.
Or instead of third base he would have been converted to second base so Soriano and then Cano would play the outfield.
No way would he have displaced Jeter at short.

Had he played in NY for the Mets, he'd still be looking for that second WS ring because the Mets would have found a way to lose the LCS anyway.

 

[micropolitan guy]

Eckstein makes every team he plays for better than they were before they had him. He does the little things - moving runners up, making routine play after routine play, etc. - that don't get noticed on a day-to-day basis but translate into 5-10 wins over a 162-game season.

Small case in point, last year's NLCS against the Astros. Houston up 2, Cardinals down to their last out, Eckstein gets on after a great at-bat. Somebody else gets on (Edmonds?) and Pujols unloards with a 3-run homer to win.

He's not a great individual player. He is a great, great team player. In the era of celebrating talented, selfish idiots like TO, that gets overlooked. I doubt there's a manager in MLB - black, while, Asian, Jewish, Mexican. Somalian or Japanese - who wouldn't love to have a guy like Eckstein on his team.

Bill James had an excellent piece on a similar player from the 1980s, Scott Fletcher. Seemingly modest in individual talent, but every single time he was traded the team that obtained him had a significantly better record the following year.

Oddly enough, it was the exact opposite with Bobby Bonds, generally considered a great player. Every team he went to got worse.

 

[ballscribe]

If you judged a player simply by how great his numbers are, we would never have ANY threads about A-Rod.

 

[indiansnetwork]

Oddly enough, it was the exact opposite with Bobby Bonds, generally considered a great player. Every team he went to got worse.

Now we have A-Rod for that Bobby Bonds role.

 

[DyePack]

Who exactly is fascinated?

The Human League

Very good.

 

[Claws for Concern]

Eckstein's MVP nod and another ring only adds to the misery for the Angels fans. Edmonds gets a ring, Weaver gets a ring, Eck gets a second one. Damn.

 

[Chi City 81]

Eckstein's MVP nod and another ring only adds to the misery for the Angels fans. Edmonds gets a ring, Weaver gets a ring, Eck gets a second one. Damn.

They just won a World Series four years ago. Why would they be miserable?

 

[buckweaver]

Eckstein's MVP nod and another ring only adds to the misery for the Angels fans. Edmonds gets a ring, Weaver gets a ring, Eck gets a second one. Damn.

Angels fans are too busy trying to figure out how Stoneman can get another slugger (preferably one not named A-Rod) ... they could care less about Weaver and Edmonds and Eckstein (and Spiezio, for that matter.)