Class Act Fits Right In With New Team

The MVP of the 2006 World Series was signed to a one-year contract Thursday. Let’s dig deep in our memory banks to remember who this was. Well, let’s see. The 2006 winner, was that the Red Sox? No, they won it in 2007. What team was that? Oh yeah, I remember—the best 83 win team in baseball history—the 2006 St. Louis Cardinals. Now, who was that MVP? Albert Pujols—no he wouldn’t get signed to a one-year deal. He wasn’t even a free agent. Chris Carpenter—it might be; he would fit nicely in with a new team; however, Chris Carpenter is still a member of the Cardinals. Oh yeah, now I remember. It’s that five foot seven inch shortstop. What’s his name? David Eckstein—that’s it.

Eckstein is a hard guy to recall because he is not the flashiest, strongest, or fastest ballplayer; however, he is that guy who always seems to do the right thing. Sprinting down to first base after a walk or hustling out a ground ball, Eckstein will never get yelled at by his manager for lack of effort. So it’s good to see that the 33 (soon to be 34—Tuesday the 20th) year old getting another chance to play full time. Only this time, he will be playing a “new” position. Having played shortstop his entire career with the Angels and Cardinals, he played a little second base last season with the Diamondbacks and Blue Jays. And it’s a move he’s comfortable with. He played second base all the way up to the big leagues. So playing second base for the San Diego Padres won’t rattle any nerves for the veteran.

With the Padres’ lineup struggling to get on base and score runs last season (dead last in the league in runs scored with 637 and dead last with a .317 on base percentage) Eckstein is a big acquisition to a team looking to make the turnaround back to the top of the NL West. Not only is Eckstein’s career .351 on base percentage the perfect need for a team in desperate need of base runners, his attitude will help in the clubhouse and team chemistry. Eckstein is a proven leader and winner and will hopefully bring this with him to his newest team—the San Diego Padres.

I’m glad to see that Eckstein signed with a team in need of a middle infielder. When players get to be in their mid-thirties, some don’t get the chance to play everyday and win. Eckstein already has a World Series under his belt and now is getting the chance to play everyday for a team in desperate need of leadership. Eckstein can be that leader—I mean, he was the MVP of the World Series.