A quickie quiz as the New York Yankees-Anaheim Angels series gears up for Game Three at Edison Field Friday night.

A shortstop led the American League in grand slams this season. Who was he?

Alex Rodriguez? No. Miguel Tejada? Uh, uh. Nomar Garciaparra? Nope. Derek Jeter? Guess again.

The Slam King in the A.L. this year was none other than Little League look-alike David Eckstein, the Angels' diminutive shortstop and former hustling fan favorite for the Pawtucket Red Sox in 2000.

Eckstein, liberally listed as a 5-foot-8, 170-pounder in the Angels' media guide, walloped three grand slams, including "grannies" in back-to-back games against Toronto (April 27-28), the second of which was a walk-off blast.

But while Eckstein can muscle up every once in a while - he hit eight homers this season - his value to the Angels offensively is felt in much more mundane but critical ways.

And it isn't contained in his numbers, which were solid enough. In his second full year in the majors, Eckstein batted .293 with 63 RBI to go along with his eight homers. He also whiffed only 44 times in 608 at-bats and drew 45 walks, an impressive walk-to-strikeout ratio. And he contributed 14 sacrifice bunts and 8 sacrifice flies.

Another line on the stat sheets jumps out at you. Eckstein was hit 27 times by pitches, leading the league. He topped his own Anaheim team record of 21, established as a rookie in 2001.

Defensively, Eckstein, a second baseman by trade, has found a home at shortstop for the Angels. He doesn't have much of an arm by major-league shortstop standards, nor is his throwing motion textbook, prompting him to say he doesn't even like to see himself throw on any highlights.

But, relying on scouting reports and his considerable baseball smarts, he's in the right place at the right time more often than not, making up for his lack of range and arm strength. And he puts three fingers on the ball when he throws, instead of two, to compensate for having such small hands.

He looks like he's ready to try out for the high school jayvee team, but at the age of 28, his toughness and competitiveness on the field, which complements his pleasant demeanor off the field, have earned him his major-league wings with the Angels.

"He is the absolute catalyst of our club," said Anaheim manager Mike Scioscia, whose Angels are tied at a game apiece with the Yankees in the best-of-five series.

No one could have predicted Eckstein's success, except maybe Eckstein, a classic overachiever who was a walk-on at high-powered Florida, eventually earning All-America status in 1996.

The Red Sox certainly didn't deem him a budding superstar, taking him off the 40-man roster to make room for Lou Merloni in 2000, subsequently losing him to the Angels at that point on a waiver claim.

And it's not as if Luke Wrenn, the Red Sox scout who signed him, envisioned greatness for Eckstein, either.

"He told my dad when he signed me that I'd do all right, maybe play three years in the minors, and that I'd become a great coach somewhere in four years. He didn't tell me that, though," said Eckstein with a smile.

Eckstein didn't hear that story until last year, when he began the season as the Angels' starting second baseman.

"That's when my dad told me," said Eckstein. "And when I saw Mr. Wrenn in Florida, he just laughed and said, `Some scout I am.' "

When Eckstein heard the story, he took no offense. Most of his baseball life, it has been the same thing - getting overlooked at the outset because of his size. All Eckstein has done is work hard at the game, challenge himself.

His hard work has paid off in opportunities, like the time he was trying to overcome long odds to make the Florida team as a walk-on.

Eckstein knew he'd have only a few chances to show he deserved to be on the team - "maybe five ground balls and three swings" - so he spent several weeks before the tryout hitting pitch after pitch in the batting cages.

As luck would have it, the backup second baseman got hurt, and the team's coaching staff, looking for a second baseman to fill in for the intrasquad games, noticed Eckstein hitting day after day. They asked him to join regular practice, two weeks before the walk-on tryout. Eckstein not only made the team, he became a two-time All-SEC second baseman, helping the Gators reach the College World Series in 1996.

Opportunity tapped Eckstein in a roundabout way in 2000. And when he was plucked by the Angels from the Sox, Eckstein had no complaints.

"I was playing horribly," said Eckstein, who hit less than .200 his first month in Triple A, and was up to .246 at the time he left Pawtucket. "I would have taken me off the roster at that point, too."

It was that year, though, that Eckstein had gotten his first taste of the big leagues. He was in training camp with Boston, and one day then-manager Jimy Williams - someone who recognizes and appreciates young kids with determination - took Eckstein and Nomar Garciaparra to a back field to work on the finer points of turning the double play.

"That was a thrill at that point in my career," said Eckstein. "To think that Jimy would help me out like that, and to be working with an American League superstar like Nomar was just a big thrill. I tried to take it all in. I was listening to everything they were saying, trying to learn all I could from them."

He was trying to put that knowledge to work for him in the Angels' big-league training camp in 2001. He didn't have high hopes of winding up in Anaheim, but then the Baseball Gods smiled on the tireless worker. Adam Kennedy, slated to be the Angels' starting second baseman, was hit by a pitch and suffered a broken hand in a spring training game.

Enter Eckstein.

"I hadn't played in the previous three days, so I was probably going to be sent to Salt Lake," said Eckstein, referring to the Angels' Triple-A ballclub. "That opened up the second base position. I started seven games at the beginning of the (regular) season."

He did such a good job in those seven games, and continued to do so, fitting in perfectly with the small-ball, hard-nosed atmosphere desired by Scioscia, that Eckstein hasn't seen a minor-league day since.

Not that he was a recognizable star right away.

In fact, early in the 2000 season, several of the Angels went to a mall to participate in an autograph session. Tables were set up for the players. Eckstein sat down, and over the course of about 20 minutes, three different security guards approached him and asked him to leave, thinking he was just some kid pretending to be a big leaguer.

He's not pretending. He's pesky. He's eccentric, as his batting practice routines, which include pogo-stick-like jumps and the windmilling of his bat in the on-deck circle, are getting plenty of attention from the national media.

Eckstein hasn't been awed by the playoffs, either. He's 3-for-10. And in a typical Eckstein at-bat, he was able to make contact with a pitchout on a hit-and-run play, fouling off Roger Clemens's fastball in Game One in protecting the runner.

A few pitches later, Eckstein bounced a single to left, but his foul ball was even more impressive.

"That's instinctive," said Scioscia. "That's all Eck. That's one of the little things that guys who have seen him play day in and day out understand he does. He's an incredible player, and that was an indication of the little things that he does that helps you win a game."

Eckstein may not be a home run hitter, but he's a leader.

"It looks like (the Angels) play off the energy that Eckstein brings to the table," said admiring Yankee manager Joe Torre.

Eckstein appreciates such compliments. But don't expect them to go to his head.

"I can do better," said Eckstein, flashing a grin that spoke of confidence and tenacity.

He already has done better than many people thought he could do. And with his determination, the sky's the limit for the Angels' David Eckstein.