{"id":395653,"date":"2026-09-10T08:52:11","date_gmt":"2026-09-10T08:52:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/395653\/"},"modified":"2026-09-10T08:52:11","modified_gmt":"2026-09-10T08:52:11","slug":"inside-retired-mlb-star-david-eckstein-and-ashley-ecksteins-florida-home","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/395653\/","title":{"rendered":"Inside Retired MLB Star David Eckstein and Ashley Eckstein\u2019s Florida Home"},"content":{"rendered":"

The story behind retired MLB player David Eckstein meeting his wife, Disney actress Ashley Eckstein, is nothing short of a fairy tale\u2014so it’s fitting that they’re living out their happily ever after in a Florida<\/a> home base that meets all their design needs.<\/p>\n

David, 51, and Ashley, 44, bought the five-bedroom, five-bathroom, 4,200-square-foot Orlando, FL<\/a>, residence in 2020, the same year it was built. Since then, they’ve adorned the interior of the English cottage-style home in a way that marries their passion for the ballpark and their favorite Disney theme park, Walt Disney World<\/a>.<\/p>\n

David, a two-time World Series Champion and MVP of the 2006 World Series when he played for the St. Louis Cardinals, and Ashley, the voice of Ahsoka Tano in all seven seasons of the \u201cStar Wars: The Clone Wars\u201d series, are both Orlando locals who grew up going to the Magic Kingdom, and now consider it \u201calmost a requirement\u201d to live close by.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen you grow up in Orlando, Disney is a part of you,\u201d David reveals to Realtor.com<\/a> in the latest Celebrity Sanctuary<\/a>. \u201cIt was always something that was really special because we didn’t have much money and my mom would save up to take us once a year, if not every three years, and it was the most magical place on Earth.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt’s all I can remember,\u201d adds Ashley, whose father was a Disney cast member and whose mother was a school teacher who treated the park like a classroom. \u201cI say I was raised by Disney because we were at Walt Disney World at least once a week\u2014Disney is in my DNA, and so that was one thing we bonded over instantly.\u201d<\/p>\n

The story behind retired MLB player David Eckstein meeting his wife, Disney actress Ashley Eckstein, is nothing short of a fairy tale, so it\u2019s fitting they\u2019re living happily ever after inside a Florida home base that meets all their design fantasies.David, 51, and Ashley, 44, bought the five-bedroom, five-bathroom, 4,200-square-foot Orlando residence in 2020, the same year it was built. Johanna OakesDavid and Ashley, who both grew up visiting Walt Disney World with family, share an affinity for all things Disney.<\/p>\n

The couple discovered their shared affinity for all things Disney. Both have written books that recount the introduction from different perspectives. <\/p>\n

\u201cJust Enough\u201d is David’s memoir of his life and storied sports career, while \u201cLucky 22\u201d is Ashley’s debut romance novel she co-wrote with romance author Samantha Chase. The latter is a fictionalized narrative about the start of the couple’s relationship.<\/p>\n

\u201cHow we met and fell in love is a chapter in David’s book and that’s all it deserves to be … but I had a feeling that people were going to want to know more because it\u2019s a very serendipitous story,\u201d shares Ashley. She notes that her romanticized written version is \u201cactually about 90% true.\u201d<\/p>\n

The fortuitous chain of events began when Ashley attended a baseball game wearing the jersey number David had been randomly assigned because it happened to be the favorite numeral of the Her Universe<\/a> founder.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy boyfriend at the time gave me David’s shirt because that was my favorite number, and so the whole game, I was watching \u2018my boy,\u2019\u201d she explains. \u201cI just happened to be looking at the dugout because one of the players scored\u2014there was a bunch of commotion, and since I was in the front row, he happened to look over and we locked eyes.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Both books, which dropped on Sept. 8, cover this special chapter in the Ecksteins\u2019 lives that eventually led to their tying the knot in 2005 and making several house moves together.<\/p>\n

In this installment of Celebrity Sanctuary, the authors detail the novel Disney and baseball-inspired decor at their O-Town domain, particularly the ones reserved for their complementary mudroom and media room sanctuary spaces that they\u2019ve designed to be in a league of their own.<\/p>\n

The couple’s initial encounter reads so much like something out of a storybook, they\u2019ve each recently written books that recount the introduction from two different perspectives.David and Ashley EcksteinAshley designed the mudroom to showcase David’s baseball memorabilia.Preston MackDavid says the existing shelving in the mudroom “looked like three lockers,” so the couple decided to display items from three of the teams he played for during the course of his baseball career.Johanna Oakes<\/p>\n

Ashley: What motivated our move back to Orlando was the fact that it is home for both of us. We like to say home is wherever your family is. Luckily for us, our families live in Orlando and we both love Disney, so it works out for us.<\/p>\n

What motivated our move to our house now is the fact that it’s very close to Disney. Literally minutes. We’ve also lived in California<\/a> and we lived very close to Disneyland, so it’s just kind of a life rule.<\/p>\n

I do a lot of work with Disney, and the proximity to the parks works well for me because it’s close to my office, as you could say.<\/p>\n

The overall interior aesthetic is Disney. When David played baseball, we were always moving. In fact, one year we moved nine times in one year, so we were always living out of a suitcase. <\/p>\n

Once David retired, we were able to finally settle down. When we moved into this home in 2020, David told me, \u201cI want this to be our forever home and you can decorate it however you want.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

I said, \u201cReally, however I want?\u201d And he said, \u201cYes. Just give me a TV wall with several TVs\u201d so he can watch multiple games at once. So I decided to decorate the entire house inspired by “Alice in Wonderland” with a little bit of “Cinderella” and a corner for David.<\/p>\n

David: It’s the mudroom. She gave me a little corner. When you walk into the corner, the way they had constructed it, it actually looked like three lockers and so we made it into three lockers.\u00a0<\/p>\n

I played for the University of Florida, so we have one locker with the Gators. We have one locker with the Angels, and we have one locker with the Cardinals. We decorated it off of Disney’s [baseball-themed restaurant], Casey’s Corner, and so we have the big circular emblem of David’s Corner.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Ashley: We replicated one of the signs of Casey’s Corner, but made it David’s Corner. I worked with a friend [whose] job for Disney is to build themed spaces.\u00a0<\/p>\n

I’m also best friends with the official voice of Mickey Mouse for Disney. His name is Brett Iwin, and he’s a Disney fine artist. He’s an incredible artist, and he helped us build the space.\u00a0<\/p>\n

I have a vision and I can tell the story in my mind, but I am not an artist. So I work with my friends to say, \u201cHere’s what I want. Help me bring it to life.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ashley explains they “replicated one of the signs from Casey’s Corner,” a restaurant inside Walt Disney World, “but made it David’s Corner.”Preston MackA friend of Ashley’s whose job with Disney is “to build themed spaces” helped her create the David’s Corner sign.Johanna OakesAshley says David is so humble, he initially “didn’t want to showcase any of his baseball memorabilia.”Johanna OakesNow that the mudroom is complete, David admits he has “gotten a lot of joy” out of walking down memory lane whenever he passes through.Johanna Oakes<\/p>\n

Now, the joke is that I only gave him a corner. However, in fairness, David didn’t want to showcase any of his baseball memorabilia. It was really sad; we had these World Series-worn jerseys and cleats and all this incredible memorabilia just sitting in bins.\u00a0<\/p>\n

When we bought the house, the mudroom was already built and it already looked like a baseball locker room. I told David, \u201cI don’t care if you don’t want it, this is meant to be a baseball locker room.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

I had a vision of Casey’s Corner, but making it David’s Corner, and I said, \u201cWe\u2019re giving you a baseball area.\u201d<\/p>\n

He jokes about it now, but if it were up to him, there wouldn’t be any baseball in the house. I love my husband. He is very humble, but I am a proud wife, so I like to show off what he’s accomplished.<\/p>\n

David: When we first met, she came over to my apartment and my World Series-winning uniform was on the floor in my closet. When you read my book, you’ll understand that I never thought I was good enough. For me to actually go, \u201cOh, my gosh, I did something great,\u201d was not in me. Then Ashley’s here, like, \u201cNo, you need to display this.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Don’t get me wrong, I’m going to tell you right now, I have gotten a lot of joy in that room now. Being able to walk by, seeing all the stuff, my World Series jerseys, from University of Florida to the Angels to the Gators to the Cardinals, all right there. The game-winning bat that I won World Series MVP with is in there. Some of the awards that I had won. How they created the room, it’s actually really, really nice.<\/p>\n

While he appreciates the mudroom, David describes his sanctuary space as being “on the couch in front of my three TVs.”Johanna OakesDavid’s only design request for the home was “a TV wall with several TVs\u201d so he can watch multiple games at once.David and Ashley EcksteinBecause the Ecksteins believe that “David’s Corner is always evolving,” they plan to hang up some of the special baseballs and are considering adding baseball cards and wallpaper.Johanna OakesAshley and David share that they’ve created a home that brings them joy, and they “hope that others will do the same.”Johanna Oakes<\/p>\n

What sanctuary is to me, it’s where I can relax with peace and quiet and just enjoy. I know we’re [talking] about my corner, but I would have to say [my sanctuary is] actually on the couch in front of my three TVs, having the ability to watch multiple games at the same time. That’s what I’ve always loved, and that was my one request of the home, was that I had the ability to sit on a couch that reclines and watch games.<\/p>\n

Ashley: We’re very happy with our home and our space, but Walt Disney had a quote, I don’t have it memorized, but he’s basically saying that the Disney parks are always in motion. They’re never finished. That’s the way we look at our home. David’s Corner is always evolving. He actually has all of his first-hit baseballs\u2014grand slam baseball, first home run for every team and for the big leagues\u2014and so we want to hang up all those baseballs.<\/p>\n

David: Baseball cards and maybe wallpaper.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Ashley: That’s the next phase for David’s Corner.\u00a0<\/p>\n

What I say about the house is it brings us joy. I’ve never followed any rules when it comes to interior design. In fact, I feel like I\u2019ve broken every interior design rule, and I don\u2019t care because your home is where you spend half your life if not more, and it should bring you joy.\u00a0<\/p>\n

When we walk in our home, it literally makes me smile. I walk past all my “Alice in Wonderland” things or even David\u2019s Corner, and it brings the biggest smile to my face in the midst of daily stresses. The fact that we\u2019ve built a home that brings us joy, we hope that others will do the same.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

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