Jim Eisenreich

[William Malone]

James Michael Eisenreich was born on April 18, 1959 in St. Cloud, Minnesota.

The Minnesota Twins selected him in round 16 of the 1980 MLB Draft. He made their Opening Day roster in 1982, and got off to a fast start. Eisenreich was hitting .302 with two home runs and nine RBI through 34 games, but he began suffering from frequent panic attacks. During a road trip in Boston, local papers wrote a story about some of his episodes. This caused fans at Fenway Park to frequently taunt Eisenreich throughout the game. He was removed after he began hyperventilating during the third inning. Things only got worse from there. He was eventually hospitalized in mid-May, ending a rookie campaign that had started with so much promise.

Twins manager Billy Gardner penciled in Eisenreich as his starting center fielder on Opening Day in 1983. He went 2-for-7 with a walk and a double through the team's first two games, but then chose to retire. Eisenreich went home to St. Cloud, and spent the summer playing men's league softball. The Twins convinced him to report to spring training in 1984, with Gardner claiming Eisenreich would be worth "ten additional victories" if he was a regular in their lineup. But Eisenreich retired again after appearing in just 34 games.

He worked as a painter in St. Cloud for the next two years. During that time, he was formally diagnosed with Tourette syndrome. Having a better grasp on his condition, Eisenreich launched a comeback attempt with the Kansas City Royals in 1987. This reunited him with Gardner, who had since been fired by the Twins and subsequently landed on his feet in Kansas City. Eisenreich had a successful six year tenure with the Royals, slashing .277/.320/.390 over 650 games with them.

The Philadelphia Phillies signed him as a free agent in 1993. Eisenreich slashed .324/.381/.453 in four seasons with the Phillies, reaching the World Series in 1993. He won a World Series with the Florida Marlins in 1997, batting .280 during the regular season and .364 during the playoffs. His final big league season was in 1998, splitting it with the Marlins and Los Angeles Dodgers.

Eisenreich currently lives in Kansas City with his wife and four kids. He runs a foundation to support children with Tourette syndrome, and travels the country as a motivational speaker.

View full player