David Eckstein’s case for the St. Louis Cardinals Hall of Fame is back in view because the numbers from the 2006 World Series still look like a postseason rescue act. He was 0-for-11 in the first two games, then closed with an 8-for-13 burst over his final three games and finished the series with a.364 batting average, three doubles and four runs batted in.
That is why his name keeps coming up now. Eckstein had been with the Cardinals for only two seasons, but he was an All-Star in each of those years and posted a.293 batting average, a.373 slugging percentage and a 91 OPS+ in St. Louis. On top of that, he was nominated as the Most Valuable Player in the 2006 World Series, a reminder that his short stay in St. Louis left a lasting mark.
The strongest evidence came in Game 4, when Eckstein went 4-for-5 with three doubles and two RBIs as the Cardinals defeated the Detroit Tigers 5-4. That game captured why he became a hero during the championship run. He was not the biggest player on the field, but he kept producing when the Cardinals needed contact, traffic on the bases and a steady bat in the middle of October.
That success helps explain why he is still talked about as a cult hero and fan favorite in Cardinal Nation. Eckstein was also seen as an underrated player, even while he made the All-Star team in both of his first two seasons with the Cardinals. His defense, his walks and his ability to avoid strikeouts gave him a profile that fit the club and gave him a following that outlasted his time in St. Louis.
The complication is that the St. Louis Cardinals Hall of Fame is already crowded, and that makes any new addition harder to argue than it sounds. But a full Hall does not mean a finished one, and Eckstein’s case rests on more than sentiment. He helped define a title run, delivered in the biggest series of the year and left behind numbers that support the memory of what he meant to the Cardinals.
What happens next is not yet clear, and that is the point. If the Cardinals ever choose to open the door again, Eckstein has the kind of October résumé that keeps forcing his way back into the conversation for a Red Jacket.
