Angel Rookie Excels in Anonymous Zone : Little-Known Left Fielder Jim Edmonds Solidifies Job With Hot Bat, Versatile Glove

He is seldom recognized in airports, has no commercial endorsements and doesn’t pull down a seven-figure salary. No one chants his name when he steps to the plate.

He is one of the Angels’ best players this season and there’s no question he’s their biggest surprise.

Meet Jim Edmonds, the man who put Bo Jackson on the bench, prompted the Angels to send Dwight Smith to Baltimore and delayed J.T. Snow’s return to the major leagues.

He never won the Heisman, never even played college baseball. Heck, he’s a local kid from Diamond Bar, just up the 57 Freeway from Anaheim Stadium.

The Angels simply couldn’t get Edmonds out of the lineup earlier this season, so they stopped trying. There was no sense ignoring the obvious: He was the best they had in left field. And for a time, he also was their best first baseman.

Edmonds, a 23-year-old rookie, has emerged as a bright spot in an Angel season that has been punctuated by the firing of a manager, the revamping of the infield and inept pitching.

It’s only June, but there is talk that Edmonds is a leading candidate for American League rookie of the year.

He doesn’t have the power of right fielder Tim Salmon, doesn’t run as fast as center fielder Chad Curtis, but Edmonds plays to his strengths and is better for it. He’s a singles hitter who plays solid defense.

“You’re always surprised when somebody does as well (in his first season) as Jimmy has,” Manager Marcel Lachemann said. “He is a good outfielder and could be an outstanding player. What makes him a tough out is that he hits to all fields.”

Others may be surprised by Edmonds’ progress, but he is not.

“I’d be surprised if I was hitting .200,” he said. “I’d be surprised if I was struggling.”

He believed he would play this well in the majors. After six seasons in the minors, Edmonds knew he was ready.

His standout defense finally earned him a starting spot in the outfield, but his hitting solidified his job. In 56 errorless games, including 17 starts in left, he has a .331 average with six doubles, four homers and 25 runs batted in.

Jackson, who will never run as he once did because of hip replacement surgery, and Smith, better known for his swing, were to share the left-field position when the season began. Each struggled and Edmonds, who started as the Angels’ fifth outfielder, quickly zoomed past them.

Jackson, one of the world’s best-known athletes, now fills in for Edmonds. Smith was traded June 14 to Baltimore because Edmonds didn’t need two backups.

When Edmonds filled in for the injured Eduardo Perez at first base for eight consecutive games in early May, he proved he could handle that, too. He hadn’t played first since 1988, his first professional season.

“He surprised me,” former Manager Buck Rodgers said at the time. “I know he can play center, left and right. He’s a good outfielder. Maybe the second best on the club. But when he showed what he could do at first, that was surprising.”

Said Edmonds: “I always wanted to play the infield. There was never any doubt I could fill that spot. I just knew I could do a routine job at first base.”

He did so well the Angels put off promoting Snow from triple-A Vancouver until June 3.

Now that he’s an everyday player, Edmonds thinks winning the rookie of the year award isn’t that far-fetched.

“To be perfectly honest, I thought about it before the season,” he said. “I thought it was an attainable goal.”

It’s a distinct possibility because, as Edmonds said, “there isn’t a whole lot out there right now.” Competition could come from teammate Brian Anderson, a left-handed starter with a 5-2 record and a 5.09 earned-run average.

If Edmonds does win, he’ll be the second consecutive Angel outfielder to win the award; Salmon won it last season.

Don’t think for a moment everything has come easily to Edmonds, who played in only 18 major league games before this season.

He began as a professional before Salmon and Curtis, but was passed by both when nagging injuries troubled him in the minors. Twice, he had seasons ended by injuries.

More recently, he missed five games after suffering a concussion April 26 at Yankee Stadium.

Edmonds, a seventh-round pick of the Angels in 1988, began his career at Class-A Bend, Ore., of the Northwest League. His second season, at Class-A Quad City, Iowa, was cut short by a shoulder injury after 31 games. After a breakthrough season in 1990, when he hit .293, he injured his knee and missed most of ’91.

He was promoted to the triple-A level in 1992 and last season made his major league debut. However, there was no guaranteed spot on the roster when he arrived at Tempe, Ariz., this spring. After all, the Angels already had Jackson and Smith.

“The minors didn’t bother me too much until last year,” Edmonds said. “When you go back to the same league twice it’s tough. I talked to a few people and they said, ‘This is going to be your year.’ ”

Edmonds knew he had paid his dues, but from an early age he also was aware of the long odds of advancing to the majors.

“As a kid you don’t realize how far away this is,” he said, gesturing out at an empty Anaheim Stadium before a recent game.

“I never dreamed of being a major league player until I got into the minors. When you get to the minors, you start to realize that it’s a long ways away. Around double-A ball I realized I could make it. That’s when I learned to play the game a little better.”

He played the game pretty well at Diamond Bar High School, where as a senior he batted .548, was the Southern Section 5-A co-player of the year and led the Brahmas to the 5-A championship at Anaheim Stadium in 1988.

But Edmonds knows not to take anything for granted.

While running to first base in the second inning of the Angels’ April 26 game at New York, Edmonds was hit on the head by Yankee shortstop Mike Gallego’s errant throw.

Initially, Edmonds couldn’t move his legs, couldn’t feel anything but numbness. He was carried off on a stretcher and taken by ambulance to a nearby hospital.

He was later diagnosed with a concussion. Although there were no lingering physical problems, Edmonds was frightened.

“I had come back from injuries before, but never one that was so serious,” he said. “If you have knee surgery, you can walk again. You might not be able to play again, but you can walk and live a normal life. But (a head injury) is something much more serious. You might not be able to talk again or walk again after something like that.”

He was back in the lineup May 5, filling in for Perez, who had suffered a sprained ligament in his left wrist.

Edmonds has missed only four games since, winning a spot in left field and making a name for himself.

“I’ve always been one of those guys who didn’t mind not being in the limelight, but I want to see my name on the lineup card.”