Eric Stuckenschneider

Eric Bruce Stuckenschneider

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 6' 0", Weight 200 lb.

• School University of Central Missouri

• Born August 24, 1971 in Jefferson City, MO USA

BR minors page

Biographical Information

Outfielder Eric Stuckenschneider peaked at AAA. Had he made the majors, his last name (16 letters) would have broken the 100-year-old record of 13 letters for the longest last name by a big leaguer; Jarrod Saltalamacchia was the first to top 13 with his 14 in 2007. Three times, Stuckenschneider scored 100 runs in a minor league campaign.

Stuckenschneider hit .435 as a college senior, winning consensus All-American honors for NCAA Division II. He led Division II with 62 runs in 103 games. He was drafted by the Los Angeles Dodgers in the 30th round of the 1994 Amateur Draft. He would play six seasons in the minors, all but one in the Dodgers system.

Eric hit .300/.446/.458 for the Yakima Bears in his pro debut, with 22 steals in 26 tries and 40 runs in 59 games, helping the team win the Northwest League title. In '95, Stuckenschneider batted .314/.474/.517 in 40 games for the Great Falls Dodgers and went 5 for 20 with 7 walks and a double for the San Bernardino Spirit.

Moving up to the Savannah Sand Gnats in 1996, the Missouri native hit .277/.424/.464 with 111 walks, 111 runs, 16 home runs and 50 steals in 68 tries for an impressive multi-faceted season. He was named the South Atlantic League's All-Star utility outfielder as he helped Savannah to the title. He led the SAL in walks, runs and OBP. Among the affiliated minors, he tied Mike Berry for 4th in runs (behind Mike Cameron, Andruw Jones and Dave Robertson) and he was third in walks (behind Tom Evans and Dane Walker). He led Dodgers farmhands in walks and runs.

In 1997, Stuckenschneider put up a .279/.419/.387 line with 100 runs, 101 walks and 40 steals (in 51 tries) for the Vero Beach Dodgers. He again led the Los Angeles chain in both walks and runs. He also led the Florida State League in walks, runs and OBP. He was 5th in the affiliated minors in coaxing bases on balls.

He reached AAA ball in 1998, playing 71 games for the Albuquerque Dukes (.309/.408/.509) after 72 with the San Antonio Missions (.277/.388/.415). Between the two stops, he scored 110 runs, smacked 29 doubles, legged out 17 triples, stole 34 bases in 44 tries and drew 88 walks. He led Los Angeles minor leaguers in runs, triples and walks. He led all of Organized Baseball in three-baggers. In the 1998-1999 Australian Baseball League, he hit .270/.425/.420 with 21 walks and 11 steals (in 13 tries) in 27 games for the Adelaide Giants. He was third in the loop in OBP (behind Paul Gonzalez and Adam Burton) and tied Chip Sell for third in steals, behind Jose Macias and Glen Barker.

The Oakland Athletics chose Stuckenschneider in the 1998 Rule V Draft (after which he left Adelaide, replaced by Tony Mota). But the next season was his last - he played for the Midland RockHounds, the AA affiliate of the Athletics and hit only .163/.295/.250 in 29 games, a huge drop-off from the rest of his career.

Overall, Eric hit .281/.415/.435 in 549 minor league games, with 412 runs, 401 walks and 163 steals in 214 attempts.