Eckstein is Ontario Blue Jays' newest hire
Corey Eckstein, an area scout for the Kansas City Royals, is making the trip from Abbotsford, BC to work for the Ontario Blue Jays in August.
The Ontario Blue Jays have hired Corey Eckstein in a full-time capacity in a brand new role as the director of player personnel beginning in August 2020.
Eckstein, known amongst the baseball community as “Eck”, has led the charge in his hometown of Abbotsford, BC for the past 15 seasons building the Abbotsford Cardinals into what they are today and re-branding them recently as the Fraser Valley Cardinals to improve baseball in the region. He has coached at the University of Fraser Valley, along with teams representing BC at the Canada Cup, Western Canada Games, Tournament 12 and other grass roots teams.
“Eck and I go back a couple years now after originally getting to know each other at an Ontario Blue Jays spring training,” said Joe Ellison, director of baseball operations. “We’ve hit it off and become great friends. We’ve always talked the game, facilities, teams, players, schedules, families, and everything in-between almost everyday.
“I’ve always joked that one day he would be a big part of the Ontario Blue Jays.”
Eckstein attended the Ontario Blue Jays spring trips for the past three years, twice serving on the coaching staffs and once bringing Abbotsford down for its first Dodgertown experience.
“Eck brings with him an incredible baseball mind, passion, work ethic and drive to do the very best for his players, fellow coaches and organization. He has helped hundreds of players into collegiate opportunities, many to pro opportunities but more importantly he has fostered an incredible culture in Abbotsford and I look forward to see his impact with our players.” Ellison said.
In addition to his contributions in his community, Eckstein was assistant coach of the Canadian -Junior National Team from 2011-2014 on coach Greg Hamilton’s staff, including a silver medals at the IBAF World Qualifier in Cartagena, Columbia and the IBAF World Championships in Seoul, South Korea. He has been an area scout with the Kansas City Royals since 2013 and was apart of the administration that brought home the 2015 World Series. He has the ring to prove it.
In a statement Eckstein said: “This was obviously a tough decision for my family. My wife Kourtni has been my No. 1 supporter throughout these negotiations. Leaving the people you care about the most is never easy but we both feel that this is the next step in my career and something that I’ve been working hard towards. There was a part of me that thought I would never leave or ever be offered a position that would entice me to leave. Every coach has aspirations to coach a high profile college team or maybe even land a pro job if you’re good enough. The Ontario Blue Jays is now my big leagues and I will always treat it as such.
“I’ve poured my heart and soul into my programs over the last 15 years. There was one thing I wanted to help accomplish before I left and that was to get a facility off the ground for the youth in my community. I hope the City of Abbotsford will reward these kids with something that is long overdue in the near future. With that said, I still feel like I’ve left this place better than I found it. There’s a lot of great people inside Fraser Valley that will continue the tradition we have created. I will always be thankful to management, administrators, coaches, players, mentors, umpires and parents for supporting my programs. Leaving this organization weighs heavy on my heart.”
Eckstein said he was looking forward to “joining the New York Yankees of Canadian Baseball, the Ontario Blue Jays.”