The 100 Greatest Royals of All-Time - #48 Jim Eisenreich

We continue our countdown at #48 with the ever popular Jim Eisenreich.

Eisenreich was a popular fourth outfielder and sometimes starter who heroically overcame the debilitating Tourette's Syndrome to become a Major Leaguer. He was a lefty, with a very stiff batting stance. In fact, he looked awfully stiff in the field as well, although he was a fairly competent fielder. He didn't hit for much power, but he did lots of other things well, including hitting for high average. As a kid, my dad and I always sat in the right field seats. Eisenreich often played right field, and in days he did, the fans in "rowdy right" would lead a rousing chant of "I LIKE IKE!"

Eisenreich was born in St. Cloud, Minnesota, and attended college at St. Cloud State. He didn't have to leave the Gopher State when he was made the 16th round pick by the hometown Twins in 1980. He hit .298 in Rookie Ball, then enjoyed a terrific season in A ball the following season, hitting .311 with twenty-three home runs. In 1982, the Twins promoted him all the way from A ball to the big leagues.

"He's a remarkable boy. I've seen a lot of ballplayers in my day, and he'll be a major league all-star."
-Twins owner Calvin Griffith

Eisenreich was hitting .300 much of the season, but he began nervously twitching and hyperventilating during games. On May 4, he was forced to leave a game after jeers from Red Sox fans exacerbating his nervous tics. In June, after just thirty-four games and a .303 average, Eisenreich was placed on the disabled list for the remainder of the year to deal with his nervous disorder.

Eisenreich came back in 1983 as the Twins opening day centerfielder. After just two games, he decided he couldn't deal with the Major Leagues. He quit and returned to St. Cloud, where he led his amateur team to the state title.

"I'm going to play in St. Cloud," Eisenreich said, referring to a semipro team in his hometown.

"Gee," [teammate Ken] Schrom said, "if you can play there and hit .400, you can play here. I know the quality's not as good, but it's the same game."

"No it's not," Eisenreich answered.

In the off-season, he worked with hypnotist Dr. Harvey Misel on his nervous tics.

"Jim's problem wasn't baseball or crowds, it was life. He has always been an anxious person with a nervous tic. In the majors he became more concerned with people watching for the condition than the condition itself. But Jim never wanted to stop playing ball, even when he was hyperventilating on the field so badly that he thought he was about to suffocate and die."

Eisenreich returned in 1984 again as the team's opening day center fielder. On April 26, he went on the disabled list to adjust to new medication. He returned for two games in May, but insisted the medication was "too strong", slowing his reaction time. After just twelve games on the year, he told the Twins he wanted to retire.

"I don't want to go through it again. Thee decision to leave was easy. The playing was hard."

The Twins placed him on the "voluntarily retired list" and called up a young centerfielder named Kirby Puckett. Eisenreich returned to St. Cloud and dominated the amateur circuit.

Three years later, Eisenreich was finally diagnosed with Tourette's Syndrome, a chemical imbalance that causes nervous tics and can be controlled with medication. With a proper diagnosis, Eisenreich's condition improved and he wanted to give a professional career another shot. The Twins instead decided to place him on waivers. The Royals, on the advice of Eisenreich's former college teammate, Bob Hegman, claimed the twenty-eight year old off waivers as a gamble.

'You can say it's a gamble, because everyone knows he's had some medical problems in the past. Since it cost us nothing more than a waiver claim and he has outstanding ability and tremendous physical talent, we thought we'd take a chance. Our actions just say that this guy might be able to improve in a different environment . . . as a player. Under a different set of circumstances, maybe the medical problems that beset him will abate. Only time will tell.''
-Royals General Manager John Schuerholz

The Royals assigned him to AA Memphis, which he dominated with a .382 average and eleven home runs in seventy games. In June, the Royals called him up. In his second week up, he had the game-winning pinch-hit against his old ballclub, then hit a three run home against them the next day. He hit just .238 in forty-four games, but slugged .467. And the most important feat was that he had successfully managed his Tourette's.

"Maybe it was (psychological) for a little bit, but deep down I knew it was neurological. I had my head on straight. I never doubted myself. I don't think they (the Twins) understood that I had this all my life. I guess they didn't want to believe me."

Eisenreich made the Royals roster out of camp in 1988, but struggled most of the year, hitting just .218 in 82 games. A good spring won him a roster spot in 1989, and on May 27 he took over for the injured Willie Wilson, collecting eleven hits over the next six games. He still faced ugly taunts from visiting fans, but he persevered, hitting a team high .293 in 134 games while leading the team in doubles, triples and steals. He was named Royals Player of the Year.

"That's what people always think. They think I'm this uptight guy who can't handle pressure. I'll bet if you ask the (Minnesota) Twins right now, they'd still say that. No one wants to believe that it could be something else. When people get to know me, they realize what I'm like. I'm laid-back. If I strike out, the last thing I'm going to do is go in and tear up the clubhouse."

In 1990, Eisenreich won the starting center field job from long-time veteran Wilson. Injuries forced him to play all over the outfield, and he played fifty games at each corner outfield position, and fifteen in center. He hit .280 in 142 games with twenty-nine doubles and a team high seven triples. He was the first ever recipient of the Tony Conigliaro Award, given by Major League Baseball to the player who had best overcome adversity.

When Bo Jackson's Royals career ended in 1991 after a football injury, Eisenreich was asked to fill in at left-field. He enjoyed his first .300 season, although he couldn't match Bo's power. Eisenreich would spend one more season in Kansas City in 1992, hitting .269, but he slugged just .340. He was named the People's Choice in a radio talk show campaign as fans clamored for him to play more regularly. That winter, the Royals decided not to offer Eisenreich arbitration, making him a free agent.

"I'm going to miss the fans here. They were great to me. But this is part of baseball."

Eisenreich spent the four seasons with Philadelphia, starting as the right-fielder for their 1993 National League Championship ballclub. In 1997 he was standing at second base when Edgar Renteria hit a game-winning single to win a World Championship for the Florida Marlins. He was a valuable bench player for the Marlins before being dealt to the Dodgers in the Gary Sheffield/Mike Piazza blockbuster. In 1998, after a 1,422 game career, Eisenreich decided to call it quits. He returned to his home in Blue Springs and managed his son's T-ball team.

Today, Eisenreich still resides in Blue Springs. He has run the Jim Eisenreich Foundation for Children with Tourette Syndrome  since 1996. He gives motivational speeches and serves as an inspiration to children all over the world with Tourette's.

I STILL LIKE IKE!