MLB
Whatever Happened to Cardinals Legend Jim Edmonds?
Jake Elman wrote for Sportscasting between 2020 and 2022, after writing for UPI, Gannett, MLB Advanced Media, and The Palm Beach Post. As a member of the Football Writers Association of America, Jake specialized in covering college football, the NFL, and sports media for Sportscasting. A former college football beat writer and podcast host, Jake is also a voter for the Fred Biletnikoff Award. Originally born and raised in New York, Jake is a Florida Atlantic University journalism graduate who is inspired by sports, passionate about his work, and enjoys reading the work of Jay Mariotti, Joe Posnanski, and Peter King. Jake lives in South Florida with his two dogs, Jack and Karma, and believes they are the key to fixing the New York Jets.
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When the St. Louis Cardinals became one of the National League’s premier teams in the early 2000s, fans attributed much of the success to veteran outfielder Jim Edmonds. The 6-foot-1 athlete spent seven seasons as a Gold Glove outfielder for the Angels. He averaged a .295 average and over 20 home runs in five full campaigns.
When a March 2000 trade sent Edmonds to the Cardinals, the California native had a chance to further his career in the National League. How good was Jim Edmonds in his prime, and what is the now-52-year-old doing over a decade after playing his last game? Let’s take a look.
Jim Edmonds was an elite hitter and fielder
Fans seem to remember Jim Edmonds more for his excellent defense than his hitting. Edmonds won eight Gold Gloves in his career and dazzled each season with athletic diving catches, terrific range, and the ability to make people think even the deepest home run would somehow end up in his glove for an out.
Edmonds deserves credit for his hitting, too. He hit a career-high 42 home runs in his first season with the Cardinals and finished fourth in NL MVP voting. Edmonds earned another top-5 finish in 2004 after his second 42-homer season. While future Hall of Fame first baseman Albert Pujols drew all of the attention, Edmonds averaged a .292 average, 35 home runs, 98 RBIs, and 34 doubles in his first six seasons with the Cardinals.
Age eventually caught up with Edmonds, and the left-handed slugger moved to San Diego in a December 2007 trade for future World Series hero David Freese. Edmonds lasted just 26 games with the Padres but hit 19 home runs in 85 games for the Cubs in 2008. After sitting out 2009, Edmonds split 2010 between stints with the Milwaukee Brewers and Cincinnati Reds.
Edmonds shined in the playoffs and hit 13 home runs in 64 career postseason games. Edmonds famously hit a walk-off home run in Game 6 of the 2004 National League Championship Series. In the next game, Edmonds’ diving catch turned a sure-extra base hit into a key double play that kept the Cardinals trailing by one run. St. Louis won 5-2.
Surprisingly, Edmonds isn’t in the Hall of Fame yet
Jim Edmonds retired after the 2010 season with a .284 average, 1,949 hits, 393 home runs, and a lengthy highlight reel of defensive plays. Few, if any, considered Edmonds a first-ballot Hall of Famer, but even less predicted he’d only last one year on the MLB Hall of Fame ballot.
Edmonds earned just 11 votes, or 2.5%, in 2016 and dropped from the ballot. Baseball-Reference‘s WAR system measured Edmonds’ career Wins Above Replacement at 60.4, higher than catcher Mike Piazza (59.6), who earned induction that summer.
Among position players from that 2016 Hall of Fame ballot, the only ones with higher Wins Above Replacement who haven’t been elected yet are Edmonds’ former teammate, Mark McGwire, and longtime MLB outfielder, Gary Sheffield.
McGwire admitted to using steroids, and Sheffield acknowledged in 2004 he’d previously used a testosterone-based steroid known as “the cream” to help his right leg. Sheffield insisted he didn’t know “the cream” was a steroid.
Where is Jim Edmonds now?
Jim Edmonds has stayed close to the Cardinals franchise. The 52-year-old joined Fox Sports Midwest as a Cardinals broadcaster in 2013 and primarily works on the pre-game and post-game shows. Since 2016, Edmonds has focused on his studio role and color commentating in the booth for Cardinals games.
In 2014, Edmonds entered the Cardinals’ Hall of Fame, nearly seven years after playing his final game with the Cardinals.
From 2013-16, Edmonds opened and closed several restaurants, never quite finding success in the Missouri restaurant scene. He has two daughters from his first marriage and a daughter and son from his second marriage.
Edmonds married his third wife, Meghan King, in 2014. The couple appeared on The Real Housewives of Orange County for three seasons as the Bravo reality TV show documented their fertility journey and marital conflicts. Edmonds and King welcomed a daughter in 2016 and twin boys in 2018. The couple separated in 2019 and finalized their divorce in 2021, with both sides feuding extensively on social media.
Edmonds married his fourth wife, Kortnie, in 2022. The couple lives in Frontenac, Missouri.
