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Jim Edmonds
Born: 1970

OF-1B 1993- Angels, Cardinals

Jim Edmonds's Teammates

  • All-Star in 1995, 2000
  • Gold Glove 1997-98, 2000

GamesAverageHRRBI
Career 861.291163516
League DS 3.57127
League CS 5.22715

Stats through the 2000 season


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» Edmonds diagnosed with post-concussion syndrome from dfw.com
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A classic five-tool player, Edmonds powered baseballs to all fields with a gorgeous left-handed stroke and patrolled center field with a rare combination of grace and flair. He often made baseball look easy -- too easy, his teammates sometimes grumbled.

No one questioned Edmonds’ talent. He earned a spot on the 1995 AL All-Star squad in his first full season, when he batted .290 with 33 home runs, 107 RBIs and 120 runs scored. Over the next three years he never hit below .291 or launched fewer than 25 round-trippers, all the while providing a steady diet of highlight reel plays in the outfield.

But Edmonds often faced criticism from teammates who didn’t take kindly to the southern California native’s laid-back attitude. He irritated some players who saw his casual style of play as laziness, and infuriated others who felt he never made the effort to fulfill his enormous potential. “He can definitely play the game when he wants to,” said Angels starter Chuck Finley. "Jimmy’s biggest problem is Jimmy."

Hard-nosed team leader Mo Vaughn took Edmonds to task before the 1999 season, reportedly packing the center fielder’s suitcase and telling him to leave if he didn’t want to be with the team. “Jim Edmonds is one of the most talented guys I’ve ever played with,” said Vaughn. “The responsibility is what’s in question.”

Edmonds also had trouble avoiding injury, likely a result of his predilection for diving catches and collisions with outfield walls while pursuing enemy fly balls. A shoulder injury in the spring of 1999 limited him to 55 games that season, further straining his relationship with skeptical teammates.

With Edmonds due for free agency after the 2000 season, the Angels worried that they would lose him to another team and get nothing in return. His name flew in trade talks throughout the winter and spring, as the New York Yankees, Oakland Athletics and Seattle Mariners all tried to land him. Less than two weeks before the start of the season, the Angels sent him to the St. Louis Cardinals for starter Kent Bottenfield and second baseman Adam Kennedy.

His first year in St. Louis proved a smashing success. Edmonds got off to a hot start with his bat while the Cardinals led the NL Central virtually from start to finish. He set career highs in 2000 with 42 home runs, 306 total bases, 108 RBIs and 129 runs scored. (The free-swinger also fanned 167 times, the most ever by a Cardinals player and a record for an NL left-handed batter.) Edmonds, who finished fourth in league MVP balloting, was so enamored of his new baseball home and its ardent fans that he signed a six-year extension with the club in early May.

During the Cardinals’ three-game sweep of Atlanta in the Division Series, Edmonds terrorized the Braves’ vaunted pitching staff, ripping four doubles and two home runs while driving in seven runs. He added a home run and five RBIs in the club’s four-game loss to the Mets in the League Championship Series.

In 2001, Edmonds couldn’t match the production of his first summer in St. Louis, but he proved himself a solid investment for the team. An August and September batting surge coincided with the Cardinals late-season playoff run, and brought his offensive numbers in line with his careers norms. (AGL)

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FROM THE BASEBALL CHRONOLOGY
» June 29, 1995: The Angels stroke 21 hits in their 20-4 victory over the Rangers. OF Jim Edmonds and SS Gary DiSarcina lead the way with four hits apiece.

» May 12, 1997: The Angels tie a franchise record by scoring 13 runs in the 7th inning to beat the White Sox, 16–8. Garret Anderson's single drives in 2, including the go-ahead run, and Jim Edmonds adds a 2-run homer in the big inning. Jim Leyritz has three hits and four RBIs.

» June 10, 1997: In Kansas City the Angels win 6–2, to move ahead of Seattle in the American League West. Center fielder Jim Edmonds makes a sensational catch in the fifth inning and then drives home the go-ahead run with a double in the 6th. Rookie Jason Dickson (8-2) retires 11 of the first 12 batters and allows two runs in seven innings.

» September 23, 1997: Angels Lefty OF Jim Edmonds hits a pair of home runs off Randy Johnson, but Seattle wins, 4–3, to clinch the American League West. Johnson won't give up another home run to a lefty until John Olerud takes him deep in Game One of the 1999 NLCS playoffs. Jay Buhner hits his 40th homer and then K's for the 173rd time, a new M's record.

» June 13, 1998: Anaheim CF Jim Edmonds hits three doubles and a single to pace the Angels' 21–hit attack as the Halos defeat the Rangers, 18–6.

» April 22, 1999: Angels OF Jim Edmonds has surgery to repair torn cartilage in his right shoulder. He will be sidelined for about four months.

» March 23, 2000: The Cardinals obtain All-star OF Jim Edmonds from the Angels in exchange for P Kent Bottenfield and 2B Adam Kennedy.

» April 12, 2000: Richard Hidalgo has three hits, three RBI, two doubles and a home run to lead the Astros to a 7-5 win over the Cardinals. The game is tied, 5-5 in the bottom of the 7th, before Hidalgo gives the Astros the lead with a 2-RBI double. Jim Edmonds ties Chick Hafey's club record by reaching base safely 12 consecutive times. Hafey set the record in 1929.

» April 26, 2000: The Cardinals whitewash the Brewers, 7-0, as Rick Ankiel, Jim Edmonds, and Fernando Tatis all hit home runs. This gives St. Louis 50 homers for April, setting a new ML mark.

» April 30, 2000: The Cardinals defeat the Phillies, 4-3, as Mark McGwire and Jim Edmonds hit home runs. St. Louis finishes the month with 55 homers, a new record for April. It also ties the National League mark for homers in any month.

» September 20, 2000: The Cardinals shoot down the Astros, 11-6, to clinch the NL Central and become the 1st team to earn a playoff spot. Jim Edmonds hits a grand slam for St. Louis and is followed by Ray Lankford's home run. It is the 15th time this year that the Cards have homered in consecutive at bats, tying the NL mark set by Cincinnati in 1956.

» October 5, 2000: The Cardinals defeat the Braves, 10-4, to take a 2-game-to-1 lead in their series. Will Clark hits a 3-run home run for St. Louis and Jim Edmonds ties a division-series record with three doubles. Darryl Kile gets the win for the Cards, while Tom Glavine takes the loss in his shortest outing in seven years.

» October 7, 2000: The Cardinals defeat the Braves, 7-1, to sweep their series and move on to the NLCS. Jim Edmonds and Fernando Vina drive in three runs apiece for St. Louis as Atlanta fails to make the NLCS for the 1st time since 1990.

» April 4, 2001: Todd Helton and Larry Walker each drive home four runs to back Denny Neagle's five inning, 3-run effort. The Rockies beat the Cards, 13–9, scoring 10 earned runs off Benes in 2.2 innings. Jim Edmonds hits a pair of homers, both upper deck shots, a first at Coors.

» June 18, 2001: Well, it's not Wrigley. The Cubs lose their 12th straight in St. Louis as the Cards beat them 6–2. Mark McGwire and Jim Edmonds match homers with Sammy Sosa and Eric Young. Back home, the Cubs announce plans to renovate Wrigley Field, adding more than 2,200 seats.

» October 1, 2002: The Cardinals pound Randy Johnson for six runs in six innings and go on to defeat Arizona, 12–2, in the opener of their division series. Jim Edmonds and Scott Rolen homer for St. Louis while Matt Morris gets the victory.

» October 12, 2002: Three Cardinals home runs help St. Louis to a 5–4 win over the Giants, who lead their NLCS by two games to 1. Jim Edmonds, Eli Marerro, and Mike Matheny clout round–trippers for the Cards while Barry Bonds adds one for SF. Chuck Finley gets the win for St. Louis.