Eric Soderholm
Encyclopedia
Eric Thane Soderholm is a former Major League Baseball
third baseman
who played for the Minnesota Twins
, Chicago White Sox
, Texas Rangers
, and New York Yankees
from 1971 to 1980. Soderholm was selected with the 1st overall selection in the secondary phase of the 1968 Free Agent draft by the Twins.
Soderholm won the Twins regular job at third base
in 1974 and had two solid seasons as their starter. He then injured his knee and missed the entire 1976 campaign. The White Sox took a gamble and signed Soderholm as a Free Agent in November 1976. The move paid off as Soderholm responded with a career year in 1977, hitting .280 and slugging 25 home runs. Soderholm stroked 16 of his 25 homers after the All-Star break to help keep the South Side Hitmen, as the Sox were fondly known that year, in the AL West pennant race into September.
Soderholm was named the AL Comeback Player of the Year
by The Sporting News
after the 1977 campaign. Soderholm followed up his comeback year by bashing another 20 home runs in 1978 for the White Sox. During the 1979 season, Soderholm was dealt to the Texas Rangers
in exchange for Ed Farmer
. Soderholm was dealt again after the 1979 season to the New York Yankees
where he finished out his playing career as a part-time Designated Hitter
. He was invited to Chicago Cubs
spring training in 1982, but his after many surgeries his beat-up knees could no longer handle the stress of everyday playing.
After retiring from baseball in early 1982, Cubs GM Dallas Green
hired Soderholm to scout American League
teams for the Cubs. At the same time, Soderholm started his Eric Soderholm (youth) Baseball Camps, which led to him becoming a private hitting instructor. He built a full-size batting cage in the back yard of his home. In 1985, Soderholm left the Cubs and started his own ticket agency, focusing not only on sports but entertainment and concerts, as well. He fought for passage of state legislation that made it legal to add a hefty "service charge" to the face price of resold tickets, which legitimized ticket scalpers with permanent offices. His younger brother Kurt, and later the middle brother Dale Soderholm (who also played in the Twins organization), helped him with ticket operations. Eric also went on to own a healing arts center, staffed by his daughter, Misty Dawn, in Hinsdale, Illinois
, a western suburb of Chicago. http://soderworldwellness.stores.yahoo.net/index.html His son Chad Eric owns two companies in Lisle, another western suburb. He has 3 grandchildren.
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
third baseman
Third baseman
A third baseman, abbreviated 3B, is the player in baseball whose responsibility is to defend the area nearest to third base — the third of four bases a baserunner must touch in succession to score a run...
who played for the Minnesota Twins
Minnesota Twins
The Minnesota Twins are a professional baseball team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. They play in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. The team is named after the Twin Cities area of Minneapolis and St. Paul. They played in Metropolitan Stadium from 1961 to 1981 and the...
, Chicago White Sox
Chicago White Sox
The Chicago White Sox are a Major League Baseball team located in Chicago, Illinois.The White Sox play in the American League's Central Division. Since , the White Sox have played in U.S. Cellular Field, which was originally called New Comiskey Park and nicknamed The Cell by local fans...
, Texas Rangers
Texas Rangers (baseball)
The Texas Rangers are a professional baseball team in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex, based in Arlington, Texas. The Rangers are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League, and are the reigning A.L. Western Division and A.L. Champions. Since , the Rangers have...
, and New York Yankees
New York Yankees
The New York Yankees are a professional baseball team based in the The Bronx, New York. They compete in Major League Baseball in the American League's East Division...
from 1971 to 1980. Soderholm was selected with the 1st overall selection in the secondary phase of the 1968 Free Agent draft by the Twins.
Soderholm won the Twins regular job at third base
Third Base
is a 1978 Japanese film directed by Yōichi Higashi.-External links:...
in 1974 and had two solid seasons as their starter. He then injured his knee and missed the entire 1976 campaign. The White Sox took a gamble and signed Soderholm as a Free Agent in November 1976. The move paid off as Soderholm responded with a career year in 1977, hitting .280 and slugging 25 home runs. Soderholm stroked 16 of his 25 homers after the All-Star break to help keep the South Side Hitmen, as the Sox were fondly known that year, in the AL West pennant race into September.
Soderholm was named the AL Comeback Player of the Year
MLB Comeback Player of the Year Award
The Major League Baseball Comeback Player of the Year Award is presented by Major League Baseball to the player who is judged to have "re-emerged on the baseball field during a given season." The award was developed in 2005, as part of a sponsorship agreement between MLB and Viagra...
by The Sporting News
The Sporting News
Sporting News is an American-based sports magazine. It was established in 1886, and it became the dominant American publication covering baseball — so much so that it acquired the nickname "The Bible of Baseball"...
after the 1977 campaign. Soderholm followed up his comeback year by bashing another 20 home runs in 1978 for the White Sox. During the 1979 season, Soderholm was dealt to the Texas Rangers
Texas Rangers (baseball)
The Texas Rangers are a professional baseball team in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex, based in Arlington, Texas. The Rangers are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League, and are the reigning A.L. Western Division and A.L. Champions. Since , the Rangers have...
in exchange for Ed Farmer
Ed Farmer
Edward Joseph Farmer is a former Major League relief pitcher with an 11-year career from - and -. He played for the Cleveland Indians, Detroit Tigers, Baltimore Orioles, Milwaukee Brewers, Texas Rangers, Chicago White Sox and Oakland A's, all in the American League, and the Philadelphia Phillies...
. Soderholm was dealt again after the 1979 season to the New York Yankees
New York Yankees
The New York Yankees are a professional baseball team based in the The Bronx, New York. They compete in Major League Baseball in the American League's East Division...
where he finished out his playing career as a part-time Designated Hitter
Designated hitter
In baseball, the designated hitter rule is the common name for Major League Baseball Rule 6.10, an official position adopted by the American League in 1973 that allows teams to designate a player, known as the designated hitter , to bat in place of the pitcher each time he would otherwise come to...
. He was invited to Chicago Cubs
Chicago Cubs
The Chicago Cubs are a professional baseball team located in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the Central Division of Major League Baseball's National League. They are one of two Major League clubs based in Chicago . The Cubs are also one of the two remaining charter members of the National...
spring training in 1982, but his after many surgeries his beat-up knees could no longer handle the stress of everyday playing.
After retiring from baseball in early 1982, Cubs GM Dallas Green
Dallas Green
George Dallas Green is a former pitcher, manager, and executive in Major League Baseball. After playing for the Philadelphia Phillies and two other teams, he went on to manage the Phillies, the New York Yankees, and the New York Mets, and managed the Phillies when they won their first World Series...
hired Soderholm to scout American League
American League
The American League of Professional Baseball Clubs, or simply the American League , is one of two leagues that make up Major League Baseball in the United States and Canada. It developed from the Western League, a minor league based in the Great Lakes states, which eventually aspired to major...
teams for the Cubs. At the same time, Soderholm started his Eric Soderholm (youth) Baseball Camps, which led to him becoming a private hitting instructor. He built a full-size batting cage in the back yard of his home. In 1985, Soderholm left the Cubs and started his own ticket agency, focusing not only on sports but entertainment and concerts, as well. He fought for passage of state legislation that made it legal to add a hefty "service charge" to the face price of resold tickets, which legitimized ticket scalpers with permanent offices. His younger brother Kurt, and later the middle brother Dale Soderholm (who also played in the Twins organization), helped him with ticket operations. Eric also went on to own a healing arts center, staffed by his daughter, Misty Dawn, in Hinsdale, Illinois
Hinsdale, Illinois
Hinsdale is a suburb of Chicago, Illinois; it is located partly in Cook County and mainly in DuPage County in the U.S. state of Illinois. The population was 17,349 at the 2000 census. The town's ZIP code is 60521. The town has a rolling, wooded topography, with a quaint downtown and is a 30-minute...
, a western suburb of Chicago. http://soderworldwellness.stores.yahoo.net/index.html His son Chad Eric owns two companies in Lisle, another western suburb. He has 3 grandchildren.