Jim Edmonds: Hall of Famer

BY: MATTHEW PRESLAR

I’m not here to present a new earth shattering idea, but more to present my thoughts on why the great baseball player, Jim Edmunds, deserves a spot in Cooperstown. When evaluating any player for Hall Of Fame status, one should look at numbers of inducted players during a relatively similar point in history. In many people’s opinions, Edmonds passes the eye test. Anybody watching Edmonds, especially during his Angles and Cardinals days, knew they had the opportunity to see an all time great catch every time he stepped in Center Field. If you searched YouTube for great catches to this day, you’ll see multiple versions of Edmonds on a dead sprint straight back and making a diving, full extension catch nearly against the Center Field wall. Those defensive plays alone warrant Hall of Fame consideration. However, Jim’s offensive numbers relative to the position and era also make him worthy. To aid my argument, I want to compare Edmonds’s production to Hall of Farmers Andre Dawson and Kirby Puckett. ​

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ANDRE DAWSON
HOMERUNS  438 
BATTING AVERAGE  .279
RBIs  1591
RUNS  1373
SB  314
OBP  .323
SLG  .482
GOLD GLOVES  8
GAMES PLAYED 2627 
*1993-94 with Boston, primarily as DH

KIRBY PUCKETT
HOMERUNS  207 
BATTING AVERAGE  .318
RBIs  1080
RUNS  1071
SB  134
OBP  .360
SLG  .477
GOLD GLOVES  6
GAMES PLAYED 1783
*1987 & 1991 World Series Champion

JIM EDMONDS
HOMERUNS  393 
BATTING AVERAGE  .284
RBIs  1199
RUNS  1251
SB  67
OBP  .376
SLG  .527
GOLD GLOVES  6
GAMES PLAYED 2011 
*2006 World Series Champion

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When making my comparisons, I take a traditional look at a player. I don’t get into the modern numbers such as WAR (wins above replacement), but I focus on the basic statistics. From relatively similar areas, Edmonds is on par with these two Hall of Fame players. As these statistics suggest, he is an offensive blend of these two great players. His career average is five points higher that Dawson, with also a better OBP% and SLG%. In four seasons worth of fewer games played, Edmonds is slightly behind in Home Runs, RBI and runs scored. Also of note, Dawson padded stats by playing two seasons with the Red Sox where he could get additional at bats as a DH. In comparison, Edmonds had a World Series championship with the Cardinals, while Dawson never won a title.

In comparison to Kirby Puckett, Edmonds has nearly double his home runs and had an advantage in slugging percentage by fifty points. In terms of being a “table setter,” Puckett had a much better batting average. However, Edmonds surprisingly had a better on base percentage and more runs scored. Both players equal in winning six gold gloves a piece. Both players also are World Series Champions.

​By the numbers alone, Edmonds is as worthy of induction as either of these relative contemporaries. His power numbers and overall run production rival Dawson in far few games played. He won the same amount of Gold Glove awards as Puckett. He is a World Champion. It is a great travesty that he received a disrespectful 2.5% of the vote and was subsequently dropped from the ballot. For anybody that loved Cardinals baseball in the early to mid 2000’s, or anybody that likes great defense in Center Field, Jim Edmonds is Hall of Fame in your mind.