Eric Ryan Eckenstahler (born December 17, 1976) is former

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...

(MLB) pitcher. Eckenstahler played for the

Detroit Tigers The Detroit Tigers are an American professional baseball team based in Detroit. The Tigers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the American League (AL) Central division. One of the AL's eight charter franchises, the club was f ...

in 2002 and 2003.

Early life

Eckenstahler was born in

Waukegan, Illinois ''(Fortress or Trading Post)'' , image_flag = , image_seal = , blank_emblem_size = 150 , blank_emblem_type = Logo , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_type1 = State , subdivisi ...

. He attended

Antioch Community High School Antioch Community High School, Antioch, or ACHS, is a public four-year high school located in Antioch, Illinois, a far north suburb of Chicago, Illinois, in the United States. It is part of Community High School District 117, which also includes La ...

in Antioch, Illinois and Illinois State University. He played for the

Illinois State Redbirds The Illinois State Redbirds are the athletic teams that represent Illinois State University in Normal, Illinois. Teams play at the NCAA Division I level ( FCS in football). The football team competes in the Missouri Valley Football Conference wh ...

baseball team in 1996, 1997, and 1999, although he did not appear in any games during the 1998 season. During his college career, Eckenstahler compiled a 14–7 record and a 5.40 earned run average in 36 games (31 starts).

Professional career

Eckenstahler was drafted by the

Houston Astros The Houston Astros are an American professional baseball team based in Houston, Texas. The Astros compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division, having moved to the division in 2013 after ...

in 1995 and the

New York Yankees The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Amer ...

, but he did not join either organization. After his

senior Senior (shortened as Sr.) means "the elder" in Latin and is often used as a suffix for the elder of two or more people in the same family with the same given name, usually a parent or grandparent. It may also refer to: * Senior (name), a surname ...

college season, he was taken in the 32nd round of the

1999 MLB draft The 1999 First-Year Player Draft, Major League Baseball's annual amateur draft of high school and college baseball players, was held on June 2 and 3, 1999. A total of 1474 players were drafted over the course of 50 rounds. First round selections ...

by the

. Although he was drafted by Detroit on June 2, 1999, he waited nearly a full year before signing a contract with the Tigers on May 25, 2000. Eckenstahler made his professional debut in 2000. He split the season between the low– Class A

Oneonta Tigers The Oneonta Tigers were a minor league baseball team located in Oneonta, New York. They were members of the New York–Penn League. The Tigers were the Short-Season A classification affiliate of the Detroit Tigers, and played their home games at ...

and the mid–Class A

West Michigan Whitecaps The West Michigan Whitecaps are a Minor League Baseball team of the Midwest League and the High-A affiliate of the Detroit Tigers. They are located in Comstock Park, Michigan, a suburb of Grand Rapids, and play their home games at LMCU Ballpark. ...

. He posted a 1.64 ERA in 8 appearances with Oneonta and a 5.79 ERA in 10 games (3 starts) with West Michigan. He split the 2001 season between the high–Class A Lakeland Tigers and the Class AA

Erie SeaWolves The Erie SeaWolves are an United States, American professional baseball team based in Erie, Pennsylvania. They compete in Minor League Baseball (MiLB) as a member of the Eastern League (1938–present), Eastern League's Southwest Division, serving ...

. Eckenstahler posted a 1.50 ERA in only 4 appearances with Lakeland, whereas he recorded a 4–2 record and a 3.90 earned run average in 46 games with Erie. In 2002, Eckenstahler began the season with the Class AAA

Toledo Mud Hens The Toledo Mud Hens are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A affiliate of the Detroit Tigers. They are located in Toledo, Ohio, and play their home games at Fifth Third Field. A Mud Hens team has played in ...

of the

International League The International League (IL) is a Minor League Baseball league that operates in the United States. Along with the Pacific Coast League, it is one of two leagues playing at the Triple-A level, which is one grade below Major League Baseball ...

. He saw action in 52 games with Toledo, posting a 4.43 ERA and a 2–4 record. He was promoted to the major leagues late in the season and made his MLB debut on September 9, pitching two scoreless innings against the

Minnesota Twins The Minnesota Twins are an American professional baseball team based in Minneapolis. The Twins compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central Division. The team is named after the Twin Cities area w ...

. Overall, Eckenstahler appeared in 7 games for Detroit and posted a 5.63 ERA while striking out 13 batters in 8 innings. Eckenstahler also split the 2003 season between Toledo and Detroit. He took the mound 39 times for Toledo, posting a 3–6 record and a 3.16 ERA in 42.2 innings. With Detroit, he saw action in 20 games and recorded a 2.87 ERA over 15.2 innings. In 2004, Eckenstahler began the year with Toledo, where he made 42 appearances and tallied a 5.15 earned run average. On August 13, he was sent to the

Chicago Cubs The Chicago Cubs are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The Cubs compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as part of the National League (NL) Central division. The club plays its home games at Wrigley Field, which is located ...

as a player to be named later in a trade which had sent Félix Sánchez to Detroit back in April. Eckenstahler posted a 3.60 ERA in 8 games with the

Iowa Cubs The Iowa Cubs are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Chicago Cubs. They are located in Des Moines, Iowa, and are named for their Major League Baseball (MLB) affiliate. The ...

, Chicago's Class AAA affiliate. Eckenstahler was released by the Cubs on April 4, 2005, and he signed a contract with the

Cincinnati Reds The Cincinnati Reds are an American professional baseball team based in Cincinnati. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) National League Central, Central division and were a charter member of ...

12 days later. He made 35 appearances for the Chattanooga Lookouts, Cincinnati's Class AA affiliate. Eckenstahler struggled in his final professional season, posting a 9.24 ERA and recording 41 walks and 29 strikeouts over 37 innings.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Eckenstahler, Eric 1976 births Living people Detroit Tigers players Major League Baseball pitchers Illinois State Redbirds baseball players Sportspeople from Waukegan, Illinois Baseball players from Lake County, Illinois West Michigan Whitecaps players Oneonta Tigers players Erie SeaWolves players Lakeland Tigers players Toledo Mud Hens players Iowa Cubs players Chattanooga Lookouts players

Early life

Professional career

See also

References

External links