Eric Girard Yelding (born February 22, 1965) is an American former
professional baseball
Professional baseball is organized baseball in which players are selected for their talents and are paid to play for a specific team or club system. It is played in leagues and associated farm teams throughout the world.
Modern professional ...
player. He played all or parts of five seasons in
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), ...
with the
Houston Astros and
Chicago Cubs from 1989-93. Known for his blazing speed and strong arm, he played several different positions, most often at
shortstop
Shortstop, abbreviated SS, is the baseball or softball fielding position between second and third base, which is considered to be among the most demanding defensive positions. Historically the position was assigned to defensive specialists wh ...
and in
center field
A center fielder, abbreviated CF, is the outfielder in baseball who plays defense in center field – the baseball and softball fielding position between left field and right field. In the numbering system used to record defensive plays, the c ...
.
Minor leagues
Yelding was a star athlete at
Fairhope High School
Fairhope High School (FHS) is a public secondary school located in Fairhope, Alabama. Fairhope High School is a part of the Baldwin County Public Schools system. They service grades 9– 12.
Clubs and activities
A wide variety of clubs some inc ...
in
Fairhope, Alabama
Fairhope is a city in Baldwin County, Alabama, United States, located on the eastern shoreline of Mobile Bay. The 2020 Census lists the population of the city as 22,477. Fairhope is a principal city of the Daphne-Fairhope-Foley metropolita ...
, and was later drafted in the 1st round of the
1984 MLB amateur draft out of
Chipola College
Chipola College is a public college in Marianna, Florida. It is part of the Florida College System.
History
The school was founded in 1947 as Chipola Junior College; its name was changed in 2003 after the college developed several bachelor's ...
by the
Toronto Blue Jays
The Toronto Blue Jays are a Canadian professional baseball team based in Toronto. The Blue Jays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Since 1989, the team has played its home games ...
. He made an immediate impact with his speed and arm, stealing 93 bases and adding 19 outfield assists in his first 200 games with the
Medicine Hat Blue Jays
The Medicine Hat Blue Jays were a Rookie League affiliate of the Toronto Blue Jays, playing in the Pioneer League and located in the city of Medicine Hat, Alberta, Canada. They played a total of 25 seasons; 1978 through 2002. Their home field wa ...
and
Kinston Blue Jays.
Because of his strong arm, he was moved to shortstop the following season with the
Ventura County Gulls
The Ventura County Gulls were a minor league baseball team in Ventura, California. They were a Class A-Advanced team that played in the California League, and were a farm team of the Toronto Blue Jays for the franchise's only year as the Gulls. ...
. Although he found success with the bat and on the basepaths, hitting .280 with 41 steals, he made 58 fielding errors. He divided the 1987 year between the
Myrtle Beach Blue Jays
The Myrtle Beach Blue Jays were a minor league baseball team based in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. They began play in the South Atlantic League in 1987 after being relocated from Florence, South Carolina (Florence Blue Jays). They played at the ...
and Double-A
Knoxville Blue Jays
The Tennessee Smokies are a Minor League Baseball team based in Kodak, Tennessee, a suburb of Knoxville. The team, which plays in the Southern League, is the Double-A affiliate of the Chicago Cubs. They play at Smokies Stadium, directly off In ...
, where he stole a combined 83 bases, though his fielding did not improve as he made another 59 errors.
Despite being a liability in the infield, his prowess on the basepaths earned him a promotion to the AAA
Syracuse Chiefs
Syracuse may refer to:
Places Italy
*Syracuse, Sicily, or spelled as ''Siracusa''
*Province of Syracuse
United States
*Syracuse, New York
**East Syracuse, New York
**North Syracuse, New York
* Syracuse, Indiana
*Syracuse, Kansas
*Syracuse, Miss ...
where he was moved to second base in an attempt to alleviate his fielding woes. Although his play in the field was still suspect, he did cut his season error total to 35 while hitting .250 and stealing 59 bases for the Chiefs.
Major leagues
Houston Astros
On December 5, 1988, Yelding was selected by the Chicago Cubs from Toronto in the
Rule 5 draft. He was waived by the Cubs and selected off waivers by the Houston Astros the following April. In order to satisfy the Rule 5 terms, the Astros were mandated to either keep Yelding on the major league club for the entire season or forfeit their rights to him. Faced with the dilemma of having a player not yet ready for everyday play on their roster, but not wanting to lose their rights to what they considered a future star, the Astros used Yelding primarily as a
pinch hitter and
pinch runner. He appeared in 70 games, but played the field in only 38 of them and recorded just 102
plate appearances.
The Astros' patience with Yelding paid early dividends, as he became their full-time leadoff hitter in 1990 and finished second in the National League with 64 stolen bases. Though he improved and even showed flashes of brilliance in the field, his defense was still subpar though he did show his versatility by appearing at second base, third base, shortstop, and in the outfield.
Unfortunately, 1990 would be his last full season in the major leagues. He missed half on 1991 due to injury and struggled when healthy. He had only 8 at-bats for the Astros in 1992, spending most of the season with the AAA
Tucson Toros
The Tucson Toros were a professional baseball team based in Tucson, Arizona, in the United States.
The original Toros were a Triple-A minor league baseball team in the Pacific Coast League from 1969 to 1997, where they won the PCL Championship in ...
. On July 10, 1992, he was traded to the
Chicago White Sox
The Chicago White Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The White Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. The team is owned by Jerry Reinsdorf, and ...
in exchange for
Rich Scheid
Richard Paul Scheid (born February 3, 1965) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played for the Houston Astros (1992) and Florida Marlins (1994–1995) of Major League Baseball (MLB).
Scheid attended Seton Hall University, whe ...
. He finished the 1992 season with the
Vancouver Canadians
The Vancouver Canadians are a Minor League Baseball team located in Vancouver, British Columbia. They are members of the Northwest League and are affiliated with the Toronto Blue Jays. The Canadians play their home games at Nat Bailey Stadiu ...
before being released by the White Sox at the end of the season. He was signed by the
Cincinnati Reds during the winter, but released during
spring training in 1993 before being signed for the second time by the Chicago Cubs.
Chicago Cubs
Yelding was used by the Cubs primarily as a utility infielder and pinch hitter/runner. Although his fielding had greatly improved since his early days with the Astros (with two errors in 32 games at second base in 1993), he struggled with the bat, hitting .204. He missed a large part of the 1993 season due to injury, as well as the following year, in which he appeared in 29 games with the
Iowa Cubs.
He never appeared in another major league baseball game, although he did play in spring training as a
replacement player In professional sports, a replacement player is an athlete who is not a member of the league's players association and plays during a labor dispute such as a strike or lockout, serving as a strikebreaker.
Instances of replacement players
Nati ...
for the
Cleveland Indians
The Cleveland Guardians are an American professional baseball team based in Cleveland. The Guardians compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. Since , they have played at Progressive Fi ...
during the
1994 Major League Baseball strike
File:1994 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 1994 Winter Olympics are held in Lillehammer, Norway; The Kaiser Permanente building after the 1994 Northridge earthquake; A model of the MS Estonia, which sank in the Baltic Sea; Nelson ...
. Yelding spent 1995 and 1996 in the Indians and
Seattle Mariners
The Seattle Mariners are an American professional baseball team based in Seattle. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division. The team joined the American League as an expansion team ...
minor league systems between stints in independent leagues. He made one final comeback attempt in 1999, playing for two independent teams, before retiring for good.
External links
{{DEFAULTSORT:Yelding, Eric
1965 births
Living people
Abilene Prairie Dogs players
Adirondack Lumberjacks players
African-American baseball players
Altoona Rail Kings players
American expatriate baseball players in Canada
American expatriate baseball players in Mexico
Baseball players from Alabama
Buffalo Bisons (minor league) players
Canton-Akron Indians players
Chicago Cubs players
Chipola Indians baseball players
Houston Astros players
Iowa Cubs players
Kinston Blue Jays players
Knoxville Blue Jays players
Major League Baseball outfielders
Major League Baseball shortstops
Medicine Hat Blue Jays players
Nashua Pride players
Myrtle Beach Blue Jays players
People from Baldwin County, Alabama
Sioux Falls Canaries players
Syracuse Chiefs players
Tacoma Rainiers players
Tecolotes de los Dos Laredos players
Tucson Toros players
Vancouver Canadians players
Ventura County Gulls players
21st-century African-American people
20th-century African-American sportspeople