Eric Munson

Eric Walter Munson

• Bats Left, Throws Right
• Height 6' 3", Weight 220 lb.
• School University of Southern California
• High School Mt. Carmel High School
• Debut July 18, 2000
• Final Game September 21, 2009
• Born October 3, 1977 in San Diego, CA USA

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Biographical Information

Eric Munson batted .353/.463/.599 for the USA in the 1997 Intercontinental Cup. He scored 8 runs and drove in 10 in 9 games and finished 5th in the event in RBI. He was 1 for 6 with a RBI and a double as the cleanup man for the US in the Bronze Medal game loss to the Australian national team. Munson failed to make the All-Tournament team as Orestes Kindelan was chosen at first base.

He hit just .130/.231/.391 as a 1B/DH for Team USA in the 1998 Baseball World Cup; he had been counted on to be one of the top hitters.

He was the third overall pick of the 1999 amateur draft, by the Detroit Tigers, selected after Pat Burrell and Josh Beckett. He was a catcher at the time, but he ended up playing more games at third base in the majors. Bothered by chronic back injuries, his big league career was a disappointment as he batted just .214 in 9 seasons, and only played over 100 games once, in 2004 (he also had 99 games in 2003). He showed good power those two years, with 18 and 19 homers, but he brought little else to the table. In 6 of his 9 seasons, he batted below .200.

Munson's cousin, Matt Munson, was a sophomore pitcher at University of Southern California in 2011. Munson became an assistant coach at USC in 2012. He then moved to the Los Angeles Angels as Rehab Coordinator in 2013. Munson became hitting coach of the Indianapolis Indians in 2022.