David Eckstein is well known for being one of the most criminally underrated players in the history of baseball.
Perhaps his best moments came in the postseason, especially when he earned World Series MVP honors in 2006 with the St. Louis Cardinals.
Eckstein also won a ring in 2002 with the Los Angeles Angels.
But years after his retirement, Eckstein is still very active in the game of baseball.
In fact, he recently was an ambassador at a “Play Ball” event in Cardiff, Wales, where he taught children the fundamentals of baseball and way the game is played.
Eckstein stopped by MLB Network to discuss this event and some of the defining moments of his career.
David Eckstein recaps the #PlayBall event he helped run in Cardiff, Wales and the passion he played the game with.#MLBCentral | @markdero7 | @LaurenShehadi pic.twitter.com/hs9LwinQsW
— MLB Network (@MLBNetwork) June 22, 2023
Eckstein talked about the joy it brings him to help grow the game and teach kids with no exposure to baseball how to play the game and the basic fundamentals of the sport.
The Cardinals legend says that the reach of baseball across the globe has expanded and talked about how his event attracted a lot of people.
Mark DeRosa asked him if he was able to teach these children to play with the same kind of passion that he played with during his career.
Eckstein recalled a conversation he had with his father when he was young, when he was told he more than likely would not be the biggest or strongest player.
However, Eckstein recalled being told by his father that even if he isn’t the strongest or biggest player, the one thing he could do was hustle everywhere he went.
Eckstein says that it stuck with him and ultimately shaped him into the player he became.
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