A New Yorker by birth, Eric Soderholm was a right-handed third baseman who played nine seasons in the majors. Spending his final season in pinstripes, Soderholm’s calm and thoughtful personality was not indicative of the state of the team at the time, as George Steinbrenner was at the height of his rule and the other players in the clubhouse featured the likes of Reggie Jackson and Rich “Goose” Gossage. It turned out to be a 103-win division champ under skipper Dick Howser, but alas their October
was short-lived.
Eric Thane Soderholm
Born: September 24, 1948 (Cortland, NY)
Yankees Tenure: 1980
Soderholm was raised in Florida and graduated from Coral Park High School in Miami. A shortstop in high school, Soderholm was not much of a prospect, appearing to most as just another skinny kid playing ball. He took a work-study scholarship to play baseball at South Georgia College, and after filling out and adding strength, Soderholm was selected by the Kansas City Athletics in the 11th round of the 1967 MLB Draft. However, he chose not to sign in June, so that opened the door for the Minnesota Twins to take him as the very top pick in January edition of the draft (which was held until 1986).
The Twins got Soderholm to sign on the dotted line, and he started his professional journey in 1968. Most of the 1968 and 1969 seasons saw Soderholm playing Single-A ball in Orlando. However, by the end of the 1969 season, Soderholm was promoted to Double-A Evansville and would eventually hit his way to the highest level of the minors in 1970.
When the 1971 campaign began, Soderholm was with the Portland Bears in Triple-A. After hitting .275 with 22 home runs, the Twins finally gave the kid the call. On September 3rd, Soderholm made his debut and hit a home run in his second career at-bat, swatting a solo shot off Diego Segui en route to a 9-4 Twins victory. He otherwise struggled though, and though he hit in opportunities in late 1973, it was hard for him to catch a regular rhythm. In fact, it took until the 1974 campaign.
In his first season as the Twins’ regular third baseman, Soderholm slashed .276/.349/.392 with 10 home runs in 141 games, good for 3.1 fWAR and a 114 wRC+. With the job secured following a successful season, Soderholm then followed that up in 1975 by slashing .286/.365/.415 with 11 home runs through mid-August. In 117 games, he’d posted 4.4 fWAR, higher than all but six players in the Junior Circuit.
However, on August 20th, Soderholm fell into an unmarked storm sewer while walking a property he was looking to buy in Minnesota. This fall broke several of his ribs and caused major damage to his knee, ending his season and costing him all of the 1976 season. The knee took two surgeries, and doctors gave him a 50/50 chance to play again.
Soderholm found Dr. Fred Allman, who put him on a strict rehabilitation program that centered around Nautilus exercise equipment. Becoming one of the first professional baseball players to use weight machines for rehabilitation, Allman declared a new and stronger Soderholm was bionic. The Twins did not want to risk the recovery and released Soderholm, who signed with the White Sox ahead of the 1977 season.
Defying the odds after his knee surgeries, Soderholm was named the American League Comeback Player of the Year during the 1977 season. The slugger played in 130 games, batting .280 with a career-high 25 home runs for a surprising White Sox team that zoomed from a league-worst 64-97 record in 1976 to a 90-72 mark the following year, a 26-game swing (though the Royals beat them out for the AL West). Chicago took a step back in 1978, but Soderholm himself proved his resurgence wasn’t a fluke by hitting another 20 home runs for the Pale Hose. In total, his memorable two-and-a-half-year stint on the South Side yielded 51 home runs and cemented his legacy as a fan favorite who would eventually land in the Chicagoland Hall of Fame.
As the White Sox entered a rebuilding phase during the 1979 season, they traded Soderholm to the Texas Rangers on June 15th in exchange for pitcher (and future longtime announcer) Ed Farmer. Because Texas already featured star third baseman Buddy Bell, Soderholm was utilized in a utility role across 63 games. Then, in November 1979, the Rangers dealt Soderholm to the Yankees for infielder Amos Lewis and pitcher Ricky Burdette.
The Yankees hoped Soderholm could be a reliable platoon designated hitter and backup infielder. He excelled in his role, appearing in 95 games and batting a productive .287 with 11 home runs and 35 RBIs to help the Yankees secure the AL East division crown.
This led to Soderholm making his first postseason appearance during the 1980 ALCS against Kansas City. The Yanks had taken down the Royals in three consecutive playoff series between 1976 and 1978, and with much of the core still intact a couple years later, KC was ready for some revenge. They got it, sweeping New York away in three games, and Sodeholm was held to a 1-for-6 showing with a ground-ball single in Game 1 and nothing else.
After the season, Soderholm became a free agent. Before he could land a new deal in February 1981, Soderholm slipped on a patch of ice near his home in Chicago. The fall severely re-injured his knee, requiring the fifth major surgery on the chronically damaged joint. This one forced him into retirement following that lone season in New York.
The Cubs hired Soderholm as a scout following his retirement, and he also launched the Eric Soderholm Baseball Camps. This led to him opening a hitting school to mentor young players. Feeling like he needed some action, Soderholm eventually launched Front Row Tickets, which became a lucrative ticket resale platform.
Finding this line of work unfulfilling, in 1997, he and his daughter co-founded the SoderWorld Wellness Center & Academy in Willowbrook, Illinois. Soderholm uses his experiences working back from injuries to serve as a personal life coach and meditation teacher at the center.
Happy birthday, Eric. May it be even and balanced!
See more of the “Yankees Birthday of the Day” series here.
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