Jim Edmonds (born June 27, 1970 in Fullerton, California) is a Major League Baseball center fielder and left-handed batter who plays for the St. Louis Cardinals. The California Angels selected him in the 7th round of the 1988 draft. He is in his 14th season in the majors, having spent time with the Angels (later known as the Anaheim Angels) and currently the St. Louis Cardinals. 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.
A patient but sometimes erratic hitter, Jim is among the top players in the NL in pitches seen per plate appearance. His career on base percentage is .384 and slugging percentage is .543. Though he is a menace to many opposing pitching staffs, Edmonds can be contained by pitchers who feature good high fastballs and change ups low in the strike zone. He is often criticized for his consistently high strike out totals on a yearly basis. One of the best defensive centerfielders in baseball today, Edmonds has proven to have a flair for the dramatic, often coming up with his best plays in crucial situations late in games.
He has hit over 30 home runs in five seasons, maintains a .291 career batting average, and has earned 1000 career RBI. He has also received eight Gold Glove awards in his career, most of them coming as a member of the St. Louis Cardinals.
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 and set up a Game 7 win.
