Former Cardinals, Angels great Jim Edmonds out after first Hall of Fame ballot
While Ken Griffey Jr. and Mike Piazza celebrate being elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame, not every player on the 2016 ballot had such great results; namely former California/Anaheim Angels and St. Louis Cardinals standout Jim Edmonds.
Edmonds, who played 17 years in the majors, mainly for the Angels and Cardinals, appeared for the first time on the Hall of Fame ballot this year. Unfortunately for Edmonds, it will be his only year on the ballot as he appeared on only 2.5 percent of voters' ballots.
The National Baseball Hall of Fame requires that players must appear on at least 5 percent of voters' ballots to remain on the ballot. The maximum a player can remain on the ballot is 10 years, instead of the 15 as it has been prior to this year.
While Edmonds won't get the opportunity to be a Hall of Famer, his career still merits recognition. He was a four-time All-Star and won eight Gold Gloves during his career. He was best known for robbing many hitters of base hits with his top-notch defense in center field.
Officially retiring as a member of the Cardinals in 2011, Edmonds initially was more known for his defensive capabilities but became quite a threat at the plate. He hit 25 or more home runs in 10 of his 17 seasons, along with fours seasons with 100-plus RBI. Edmonds fell just seven home runs shy of 400 and 51 hits shy 2,000; his career slash line was .284/.376/.527.
Edmonds' Hall of Fame chances likely took a hit due to voters having to choose between him and other backlogged candidates from the Steroid Era. The latter part of his career were significantly less terrific than the seasons in his prime with the Angels and Cardinals. Edmonds spent time with the San Diego Padres, Chicago Cubs, Milwaukee Brewers and Cincinnati Reds from 2008 to 2010; he did not play the 2009 season.
While it's debatable whether Edmonds deserved a spot in the Hall of Fame, it's unfortunate he will not at least get more than one year on the ballot. Edmonds can at least boast being a member of St. Louis Cardinals' Hall of Fame as he was inducted in August 2014.
