Eric Scott Hinske (born August 5, 1977) is an American professional baseball coach and former outfielder and first baseman.

He also ranked within the top 10 in school history for several offensive categories, including RBI, runs scored, and extra base hits.

[9] On December 7, 2001, Toronto Blue Jays general manager J. P. Ricciardi acquired Hinske and reliever Justin Miller from the Athletics for Billy Koch, a move designed to bring youth and vitality to the team.

[17] Hinske was finally diagnosed with a broken hamate bone in his right hand and underwent surgery, missing a month of playing time.

[18] As a result, he was unable to match his numbers of the previous year, finishing with an average of .243, 12 home runs and 63 RBI in 2003.

[19] Hinske was still unable to return to his rookie form in 2004, finishing the year with a batting average of .246, with 15 home runs and 69 RBI.

A positive note for Hinske was that he had committed a career-low seven errors at third base and led all third baseman in fielding percentage (.978).

[20] Instead, the team ultimately acquired third basemen Corey Koskie[21] and Shea Hillenbrand, [22] and moved Hinske to first base.

[24] Toronto acquired Lyle Overbay[25] and Troy Glaus[26] after the 2005 season, forcing Hinske to shift to the outfield.

[28] Hinske gained playing time when Rios was placed on the 15-day disabled list with a staph infection suffered after fouling a ball off his leg.

[31] On August 17, 2006, Hinske was traded to the Boston Red Sox for a minor league player to be named later and cash considerations.

[35] On February 6, 2008, Hinske signed a minor-league contract with an invitation to spring training with the Tampa Bay Rays.

[37] On July 29, Hinske hit his 100th career home run off former Toronto Blue Jays teammate Roy Halladay.

Hinske was on the team's initial playoff roster but did not play in the American League Division Series and was replaced by Edwin Jackson for the ALCS.

[40] Prior to Game 4 of the World Series, Hinske was added to the Rays' roster, replacing the injured Cliff Floyd.

In the fifth inning of Game 4, Hinske hit an estimated 410-foot pinch-hit home run to center field off Philadelphia starter Joe Blanton.

[46] On June 30, Hinske was traded from the Pirates to the New York Yankees in exchange for Eric Fryer and Casey Erickson.

Hinske was included in the Yankees' initial postseason roster for the first round of the 2009 American League Division Series.

[54] With the Braves fighting for the NL Wild Card spot over the last week of the season, Hinske delivered a clutch go-ahead, two-run home run against the Marlins on September 29.

[57] He made it to the postseason for the fourth straight year and hit a dramatic go-ahead, pinch-hit, two-run home run in the eighth inning of Game 3 of the NLDS against the San Francisco Giants.

[78] On January 3, 2023, the New York Mets announced that Hinske was hired to be the team's assistant hitting coach for the 2023 season.