World Series Champion David Eckstein Visits Rocket City

David Eckstein has seen and done just about everything professional baseball has to offer. A veteran of over 1,300 MLB games spanning a decade and a two-time All-Star, Eckstein played for five teams but is most remembered by fans of the Los Angeles Angels and St. Louis Cardinals.

In 2002, his second season in the Majors, Eckstein was the starting shortstop on an Angels team that went all the way to the World Series. Once in the fall classic, the Angels beat the Giants in an epic seven-game showdown, helping the halos win their first World Series title.

Four years later, Eckstein was on the St. Louis Cardinals and made the World Series for the second time. After going 0-for-11 over the first two games of the series against The Tigers, Eckstein went 8-for-22 in the rest of the series, including 4-for-5 in Game 3 to lead the Cardinals to the pennant in five games. Eckstein was named World Series MVP for that performance.

Those would be the only playoff appearances of Eckstein’s Major League career, which came to an end in 2010. Now, he spends a lot of his time on the road playing the role of supportive spouse.

His wife, Ashley, is currently the voice of Ahsoka Tano in the iconic Star Wars franchise. In April, Ashely was a guest at the Huntsville Comic & Pop Culture Expo. David tagged along, and the pair made an appearance at the April 20 Trash Pandas game, throwing out the ceremonial first pitch. At the game, we caught up with David to talk about his career, his thoughts on the Trash Pandas, working with current players, and more.

Q: What is your first impression of the Rocket City Trash Pandas?
A: I absolutely love it. It’s one of those names that definitely sticks with you and you just love it. This is amazing. It’s a first-rate ballpark. The fans here really get into the game. It’s been an amazing experience for me to be here.

Q: How does the Minor League Baseball experience today differ than what you had when you were coming up as a player?

A: I wish I had these types of fields they’re playing on. As the game progresses, even at the lower levels now coming up. They are putting these players in positions to be successful with the accommodations like the locker rooms and batting cages. I think they have it a little better now than when I was coming up.

Q: How important is it to develop a winning mindset at the Minor League level and take that to the big leagues?
A: I think it’s very important. It’s very important to start developing a team because that’s what it takes to win at the Major League level. You need all 26 members of the team to show up every day for the same common goal. And that starts here in the minor leagues. You’re seeing the emphasis on winning and on championships. That’s how I got involved in the Angels instructional league recently. (Angels Director of Player Development Joey Prebynski) started Championship Week and they brought back a bunch of the 2002 World Series players to come back and talk to the current players. It’s something that’s really big, because if you learn that here, you carry it over once you get to the big leagues.

Q: What are some things you learned throughout your career that you are hoping to teach the current players?
A: The biggest thing is that, especially in the Minor Leagues, you never know who’s watching. Because right now you’re playing for one team but you truly are playing for all 30 teams. When you think someone’s not watching, you’re wrong. You need to play the game hard because you never know what could happen.

Q: Your wife is traveling all over the world making appearance related to her Star Wars character. What is it like for you when you’re traveling with her for these?
A: I love being in the background. The other day someone asked me what it was like to be married to a celebrity. I love it because I was never one that looked for the limelight or the attention. So now to have the roles reversed and see everyone show the love for what Ashley has done for her character has been nothing short of amazing. The fans come out and show the love. When you see someone come in with a Star Wars outfit or any type of costume, it’s the same thing as coming to a game and wearing a jersey. It’s been a lot of fun.