Eric Stults is a former professional baseball player who played as a pitcher in Major League Baseball (MLB) for several teams. He was born on December 9, 1979, in Plymouth, Indiana, and attended Bethel College in Mishawaka, Indiana.
Stults began his professional baseball career in 2002 when he was drafted by the Los Angeles Dodgers in the 15th round of the MLB draft. He spent several years in the minor leagues before making his MLB debut with the Dodgers in 2006. Stults played for the Dodgers until 2009, during which he had a record of 8-10 with a 4.84 ERA in 40 games.
In 2009, Stults was traded to the Colorado Rockies, where he played for one season. He had a record of 4-4 with a 5.85 ERA in 16 games. In 2010, Stults signed with the Hiroshima Toyo Carp of the Nippon Professional Baseball league in Japan. He played for the Carp for one season, during which he had a record of 8-10 with a 3.82 ERA in 26 games.
Stults returned to the MLB in 2011 when he signed with the San Diego Padres. He played for the Padres until 2014, during which he had a record of 23-27 with a 4.08 ERA in 89 games. In 2015, Stults played for the Atlanta Braves and the Los Angeles Dodgers, where he had a combined record of 1-5 with a 5.85 ERA in 15 games.
Throughout his career, Stults was known for his control and ability to induce ground balls. He was not a power pitcher, but he was able to keep hitters off balance with his mix of pitches. Stults was also known for his durability, as he was able to pitch deep into games and eat up innings for his teams.
After the 2015 season, Stults became a free agent and did not sign with any team for the 2016 season. He officially announced his retirement from baseball in 2017. In his career, Stults had a record of 45-56 with a 4.62 ERA in 203 games. He struck out 498 batters and walked 184 in 853 innings pitched.
Overall, Eric Stults had a solid career as a pitcher in the MLB. While he was never a star player, he was a reliable and consistent performer who was able to contribute to his teams in a variety of ways.
⚾