James Patrick Edmonds (born June 27, 1970) is an American former professional baseball center fielder and a broadcaster for Bally Sports Midwest.

He played for the California/Anaheim Angels, St. Louis Cardinals, San Diego Padres, Chicago Cubs, Milwaukee Brewers, and Cincinnati Reds of Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1993 to 2010.

Edmonds collected his first major league hit on September 10 against the Toronto Blue Jays in the SkyDome, a pinch-hit double in the ninth inning off of Duane Ward.

[7] Edmonds collected his first major league RBI on September 14 against Seattle Mariners pitcher Roger Salkeld, driving in Chad Curtis with a single.

[9] Despite the signings of outfielders Bo Jackson and Dwight Smith in the offseason, Edmonds made the Angels' 1994 Opening Day roster.

[10][11] Edmonds received sporadic playing time for the first half of the season, often pinch hitting and rarely starting games.

By June, Edmonds began to receive more regular playing time, serving as the primary left fielder after Bo Jackson had been benched and Dwight Smith had been traded to Baltimore.

Midway through the season, Edmonds was considered by the media to be a prime candidate for the AL Rookie of the Year Award.

[13] Although Edmonds's high averages regressed as he played more games, he finished the strike-shortened season batting .273 with five home runs and 37 RBIs.

[15] In his new role as the team's primary center fielder, Edmonds also emerged as a formidable power hitter; he only had 29 home runs in his six-year minor league career and five in his true rookie season, leading to him being initially recognized as a contact hitter when coupled with his high batting averages.

On March 7, he agreed to a four-year, $9.5 million contract extension with the Angels that included a team option in the fifth year.

[9] Edmonds, along with Tim Salmon, Garret Anderson, and Darin Erstad, comprised a group of four outfielders that emerged as viable options for the Angels in the mid-1990s.

As a result, the Angels traded designated hitter Chili Davis and first baseman J. T. Snow for pitching in the 1996–97 offseason in order to create playing time for all four outfielders.

During a June 10, 1997, game against the Kansas City Royals, Edmonds ran straight back towards the center field wall of Kauffman Stadium and dove outstretched for a fly ball over his head, making the catch on the warning track.

[21] In September 1998, the division-leading Angels fell behind the Texas Rangers in the standings, ultimately losing the division and missing out on the playoffs.

Edmonds, despite batting .340 that month with five home runs and 20 RBIs, was criticized by some teammates for his purported nonchalance towards the Angels' late-season elimination.

[9] During spring training in 1999, Edmonds tore the labrum in his right shoulder while lifting weights, aggravating an injury he had been playing through for several years prior.

In addition to the deactivating surgery, tensions were also rising in the clubhouse as some teammates were taking exception to Edmonds's alleged nonchalant, dismissive attitude.

[9] On March 23, 2000, the Angels traded Edmonds to the St. Louis Cardinals for second baseman Adam Kennedy and pitcher Kent Bottenfield.

Five days prior, Angels general manager Bill Stoneman had told Edmonds that he would not be traded, but plans purportedly changed when St. Louis made Kennedy available.

He received his second career All-Star selection, starting in the game in place of the injured Ken Griffey Jr., going 1-for-2 with a hit off David Wells.

Edmonds started in center field in the All-Star game and batted second, going 1-for-2 with a first-inning single off AL starter Esteban Loaiza.

In Game 7, Edmonds made a spectacular defensive play in center, helping the Cardinals win the pennant.

During Game 4 of the 2005 National League Championship Series, Edmonds was ejected in the eighth inning for arguing a strike call made by home plate umpire Phil Cuzzi.

On June 21, he crashed into the wall of U.S. Cellular Field while playing against the Chicago White Sox trying to rob a home run ball.

[37] On March 14, 2013, Fox Sports Midwest announced that they had hired Edmonds to join their St. Louis Cardinals broadcasting crew.

[49] In 2015, they opened a BBQ-style restaurant called Winfield's Gathering Place in Kirkwood, Missouri; it closed on July 2, 2016.

[50][51] Edmonds' 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 1997 to 2005.

12 of the top 100 players of the first decade of the 21st century due to his productivity at the plate and gold-glove skills in center field.

He was announced as a candidate for the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum on November 9, 2015, but was removed from the ballot on January 6, 2016, after only receiving 2.5% of the vote in his first year of eligibility.