Here’s Jon Heyman, in the course of naming David Eckstein a “potential free agent bargain.” Number eight on his list of bargains, actually:
A two-time World Series champ, this all-time scrapper is a big plus for any clubhouse.
I’d like to think that the Eckstein-is-scrappy thing has gone from observation to overused cliche and on into that new hipster realm in which things are so uncool that they’re actually cool (e.g. knitting, horned-rim glasses and T-shirts that say “Spam” on them), but I don’t think that’s the case. Jon Heyman is actually touting the merits of David Eckstein based on him being scrappy, having a good clubhouse presence and the accident of history that placed him on a couple of teams that won the World Series.
But hey: I suppose he would be worth signing if he came with Albert Pujols, Chris Carpenter and the Rally Monkey at no extra charge. Deal?