Jim Edmonds

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James Patrick "Jim" Edmonds (born June 27, 1970 in Fullerton, California) is a left-handed center fielder for the Chicago Cubs. Edmonds has played for the California/Anaheim Angels, the St. Louis Cardinals, and the San Diego Padres. Cardinals fans affectionately know him as Jimmy Baseball,^[1] Jimmy Ballgame, "Lassie" and as "Hollywood."^[2]

Early in his Major League career the California Angels selected Edmonds in the seventh round of the 1988 draft. Edmonds was traded from Anaheim to St. Louis for second baseman Adam Kennedy and pitcher Kent Bottenfield shortly before the beginning of the 2000 season. His fielding ability has earned him recognition from Major League coaches and managers, who voted him a Rawlings Gold Glove winner eight times in nine seasons from 1998 to 2005.

[edit] Playing career

Throughout his career, Edmonds has played first base in stretches, usually as a result of injury to a starting first basemen, but sometimes simply to provide rest to regular position players, or give another outfielder playing time. With Albert Pujols suffering an oblique injury in June of the 2006 season, Edmonds made six starts at first.

Edmonds has hit 30 or more home runs in five seasons, while maintaining a .287 career batting average, and has knocked in over 1,100 runs in his career. He has also received eight Gold Glove Awards in his career at center field, most of them coming as a member of the St. Louis Cardinals.

Edmonds batting for the Cardinals in 2006

Two of Edmonds' most spectacular defensive plays came while on the Cardinals and the Angels. In June 1997, while playing center field for the Anaheim Angels, Edmonds ran straight back towards the center field wall of Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City, and dove outstretched for a fly ball over his head, making the catch on the warning track. His other memorable catch came when on the St. Louis Cardinals on July 16, 2004, while covering center field against Reds batter Jason LaRue. LaRue hit a deep shot to center field that surely would have been enough to be a home run. On a dead run, Edmonds scaled the wall, reached his entire right arm over the fence, and caught the ball.

A defining moment of Edmonds' career came in the 2004 National League Championship Series, in which Edmonds hit an extra-inning home run to win Game 6. In Game 7, Edmonds made a spectacular defensive play in center, helping the Cardinals win the pennant. On Mother's Day, May 14, 2006, Edmonds was one of more than 50 hitters who brandished a pink bat to benefit the Breast Cancer Foundation. In 2006, Edmonds helped the St. Louis Cardinals win their first World Series title since 1982 while contributing 4 RBI.

Edmonds, along with Albert Pujols and Scott Rolen, earned the nickname MV3 for their phenomenal 2004 seasons.

Edmonds was on the cover of MLB Slugfest 2004.

Edmonds with the Padres in 2008 spring training.

On December 15, 2007, he was traded to the San Diego Padres for David Freese. As part of the deal, the Cardinals also agreed to pay part of Edmonds' 2008 salary.^[3] Edmonds' 241 home runs with the Cardinals are the fourth-most in franchise history.^[4]

On May 9, 2008, the Padres released him after hitting only .178 with one home run in 90 at bats.

On May 14, 2008, the Chicago Cubs signed Edmonds to a one-year, $284,000 contract. He started the next day, against his former team, the Padres, and went 1 for 4.

[edit] See also

Wikimedia Commons has media related to:

Jim Edmonds

• List of top 500 Major League Baseball home run hitters
• Gold Glove Award
• List of Major League Baseball players with 1000 runs
• List of Major League Baseball players with 1000 RBI

jim edmonds hit a homerun against the braves to tie the game.

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• Career statistics and player information from MLB, or ESPN, or Baseball-Reference, or Fangraphs, or The Baseball Cube
• Jim Edmonds' photo gallery
• Jim Edmonds page at stlcardinals.scout.com