There are athletes who put up good numbers, collect their paychecks, and retire quietly. And then there are players who make you stop whatever you are doing and stare at the screen. Jim Edmonds was firmly in the second category.

From the moment he sprinted back toward a warning track in Kansas City and made a catch that people still talk about nearly three decades later, Edmonds was never just a statistic. He was a presence — explosive, theatrical, and genuinely gifted in a way that made even casual fans pay attention.

Born on June 27, 1970, in Fullerton, California, James Patrick Edmonds spent 17 years in Major League Baseball, played for six different teams, earned eight Gold Glove Awards, won a World Series, and finished his career with 393 home runs and a .284 batting average. That is not the resume of someone who stumbled into success. That is the product of years of quiet, relentless work.

But the Jim Edmonds story does not end when he hung up his cleats in 2010. His life after baseball — as a broadcaster, a father, and a central figure in some very public personal drama — has kept his name in the headlines. Most recently, the custody battle involving his ex-wife Meghan King brought him back into the spotlight in a very different way.

This article tells the full story. Where he came from, what made him elite, how his career unfolded, and what life has looked like since the final pitch.

Early Life and the Making of a Baseball Player

Growing up in Fullerton, California, Jim Edmonds was surrounded by baseball in the most literal sense. His father’s home sat just a few miles from Anaheim Stadium — the very ballpark where he would eventually become a professional player. That proximity to the game shaped him early.

His parents divorced when he was young, and he bounced between homes. But through all of it, the one constant was baseball. He took to the sport naturally, and by the time he reached Diamond Bar High School in eastern Los Angeles County, he was already being watched.

The 1988 Draft and the Long Road Through the Minors

His senior season was cut short by a shoulder injury, which caused him to slide in the draft. The California Angels still believed enough to select him in the seventh round of the 1988 MLB Draft, but it was not the high-profile selection many had expected before the injury.

What followed was five years of grinding through the minor league system. He started at the Bend Bucks in the Short-Season A Northwest League, hitting just .221 in 35 games. He moved to the Quad Cities Angels, then to Palm Springs, slowly climbing the ladder while refining his swing and building his defensive instincts.

Most players drafted in the seventh round never see a big-league field. Jim Edmonds did. He made his MLB debut on September 9, 1993, at 23 years old, with the California Angels. It was just the beginning.

Jim Edmonds with the Angels — Where ‘Jimmy Baseball’ Was Born

His early seasons in Anaheim showed flashes, but the 1995 campaign was when things clicked. He hit .290 with 33 home runs and 107 RBIs, and suddenly the baseball world started paying closer attention. His plate discipline was sharp, his power was genuine, and his ability to hit to all fields made him a headache for pitchers.

But his offense was almost secondary to what he was doing in center field.

Edmonds turned catches into art. He would throw himself through the air, dive on warning tracks, and scale outfield walls with a kind of fearless momentum that made managers nervous and fans ecstatic. The nickname ‘Jimmy Baseball’ was not handed to him — he earned it, over and over again, one impossible play at a time.

The 1997 Catch That Changed Everything

On June 10, 1997, playing against the Kansas City Royals at Kauffman Stadium, Edmonds broke back at full speed on a ball hit deep to center field. Running straight toward the wall, he dove outstretched — flat out — and caught the ball over his shoulder on the warning track.

Sports analyst Joe Posnanski of The Athletic later ranked it as the 29th-greatest moment in all of baseball history. That is not hyperbole. It was the kind of catch that makes television producers scramble to rewind the tape.

That same season, he batted .291 with 26 home runs and 80 RBIs, and took home his first Gold Glove. It was the moment his reputation became something that could not be argued away.

The Angels had a crowded outfield during those years, and roster decisions were constantly shifting. Through it all, Edmonds held his ground in center field and kept producing. But it was becoming clear that his ceiling was higher than Anaheim was prepared to accommodate.

The St. Louis Cardinals Years — The Peak of His Career

In March 2000, the California Angels traded Jim Edmonds to the St. Louis Cardinals in exchange for pitcher Kent Bottenfield and infielder Adam Kennedy. At the time, it felt like a reasonable transaction. In hindsight, the Cardinals got one of the best players of that era for a fraction of what he was worth.

His first season in St. Louis was staggering. He set career highs with 42 home runs, 108 RBIs, 129 runs scored, and 306 total bases. He finished fourth in NL MVP voting. He was so enamored with the city, the team, and the fans that he signed a six-year contract extension before the season was even over.

Cardinals fans had found their guy. They called him Jimmy Ballgame. They filled Busch Stadium to watch him work. And for nearly a decade, he delivered.

Eight Gold Gloves, Four All-Star Selections, and a World Series Ring

The hardware Jim Edmonds accumulated during his time in St. Louis tells only part of the story. He won eight Gold Glove Awards over a nine-year stretch. To put that in context, when he retired, the only outfielders in history with more Gold Gloves were Roberto Clemente (12), Willie Mays (10), Ken Griffey Jr. (10), and Al Kaline (10). Those are not names you easily find yourself grouped with.

He was a four-time All-Star, earned one Silver Slugger Award in 2004, and finished his career with eleven 20-home run seasons, five 30-home run seasons, and two 40-home run seasons. His on-base plus slugging percentage of .903 and career OPS+ of 132 place him firmly in the upper tier of hitters from his generation.

Then came 2006. The Cardinals won the World Series, and Jim Edmonds — who had given the franchise so much over so many years — finally had a ring to show for it. It was the kind of moment that athletes spend their whole careers chasing.

Where Does He Rank Among All-Time Center Fielders?

MLB Network’s Prime Nine program once ranked the best center fielders in baseball history. Jim Edmonds landed at number eight — ahead of legends like Duke Snider and behind names like Ken Griffey Jr. and Willie Mays. Fox Sports described him as ‘maybe the best defensive center fielder of all time, with apologies to Willie Mays.’

ESPN analyst Rob Neyer ranked him 12th in his Top 100 Players of the Decade, writing that a player who can both hit at that level and play Gold Glove-quality center field is immensely valuable and, more often than not, undervalued by the public.

His Hall of Fame case remains one of the most debated in modern baseball. When he appeared on the ballot in 2016, he received just 2.5% of the vote — not enough to remain on the ballot. Most serious analysts believe that number reflects name recognition more than merit. His WAR (Wins Above Replacement) of 60.4 places him comfortably in the range of many enshrined center fielders.

But the Hall of Fame vote is what it is, and Jim Edmonds accepted the outcome without much complaint. His focus had always been on the game itself, not the awards that followed it.

The Final Years of a Baseball Career

Nothing lasts forever, and the Cardinals eventually moved on from Jim Edmonds in December 2007, trading him to the San Diego Padres for roughly one million dollars and a young infield prospect named David Freese — who would go on to become a World Series hero himself.

The Padres stint was rough. He hit just .178 in 26 games and was released in May 2008. The Chicago Cubs picked him up shortly after. The performance was better in Chicago, but age and injuries were catching up.

He sat out the entire 2009 season. Most people assumed it was over. Then, in January 2010, he signed with the Milwaukee Brewers, earned a roster spot in spring training, and played well enough that the playoff-bound Cincinnati Reds came calling. They acquired him on August 9, 2010, and he played his final MLB game on September 21, 2010, finishing with a home run — a fitting send-off for a career defined by memorable moments.

Life After Baseball — Broadcasting and Legacy

Retirement did not mean disappearing. Jim Edmonds transitioned into broadcasting, eventually landing a role with FanDuel Sports Network Midwest, where he covers Cardinals baseball. His natural understanding of the game translates well behind the microphone. He sees angles that others miss and communicates them in plain language.

In August 2014, he was inducted into the St. Louis Cardinals Hall of Fame. Cardinals fans packed the ceremony. The ovation was long and genuine. Few players in franchise history had given as much to that city as Edmonds had, and the induction felt less like a ceremony and more like a homecoming.

His career numbers remain a source of ongoing discussion. A .284 average, 393 home runs, 1,199 RBIs, 1,251 runs scored, and a fielding percentage of .988. Those are the facts. What the stats cannot capture is the feeling of watching him play — the way he turned a routine fly ball into a potential highlight, every single time.

Jim Edmonds, Meghan King, and a Very Public Personal Life

Athletes rarely control how they are remembered. Sometimes a single headline, a single off-field story, pulls more attention than all the home runs combined. For Jim Edmonds, the years following retirement brought scrutiny of a very different kind.

He married Meghan King — a cast member of Bravo’s Real Housewives of Orange County — in 2014. The couple appeared together on the show during seasons 10 through 12, and for a time, they seemed like a functional, if very public, pairing. They had three children together: daughter Aspen and twin sons Hart and Hayes.

The marriage unraveled in 2019. Their split was messy and very visible. Accusations were exchanged, both parties aired grievances publicly, and the divorce was finalized in 2021. After the split, they settled on a 50/50 joint custody arrangement for their children. That arrangement held for a few years — until 2025, when everything changed again.

Meghan King Lost Custody of Her Children to Jim Edmonds — The Full Story

In late November 2025, reports emerged that Meghan King had lost physical custody of her three children following a Child Protective Services investigation. The investigation was triggered by a school employee who reported that King had allegedly administered unprescribed Ritalin to one of her twin sons, Hayes, who had not been diagnosed with ADHD. She also allegedly asked a school nurse to do the same.

Jim Edmonds, who had by then relocated to Tennessee with his wife Kortnie — whom he married in 2021 — traveled back to be with the children immediately after CPS became involved. Meghan was granted supervised visitation twice a week while both parties prepared for a scheduled court hearing on December 9, 2025.

That hearing never happened. Before the date arrived, Jim Edmonds and Meghan King reached a private agreement outside of court. His representative issued a statement confirming: ‘The custody hearing has been called off, and both sides have reached an agreement that is in the best interests of the children.’

Under the terms of the agreement, Jim Edmonds was given primary custody. The three children — Aspen, Hart, and Hayes — now live full-time with him and Kortnie in Tennessee. Meghan retained visitation rights, though the full details of the arrangement remain private.

The weeks that followed were not easy for either side. Meghan spent Thanksgiving without her children. Jim shared photos on social media from a Tennessee ranch, showing the kids celebrating Thanksgiving and Aspen’s ninth birthday — which included a Taylor Swift-themed party and what appeared to be a genuinely warm family gathering.

By December, Meghan had begun sharing her own moments with the children on social media. She posted photos of them at a holiday market and building a gingerbread house together. She wrote warmly about Aspen’s birthday, calling her daughter ‘my favorite female to ever walk the planet.’ Whatever the legal situation between the adults, the love for the children was evident on both sides.

Jim Edmonds as a Father and His Life Today

Away from the headlines, Jim Edmonds has been consistent in one area: showing up for his kids. His social media presence during the custody period showed a man actively involved — holidays, birthday parties, casual family moments. Whether you view the custody battle through the lens of the media coverage or not, the day-to-day picture he has painted is one of engagement and presence.

He and Kortnie O’Connor Edmonds have built a life together in Tennessee, and by all accounts, the children have settled into that environment. It is a different chapter than the Cardinals days, quieter in some ways, noisier in others.

For a man who spent the better part of two decades in the spotlight — making impossible catches, hitting postseason home runs, and being analyzed from every angle — the shift to private family life has not been entirely smooth. But he appears to be navigating it.

The Legacy of Jim Edmonds in Baseball and Beyond

It is easy to reduce any athlete to a highlight reel or a stat line. With Jim Edmonds, both are genuinely impressive. The eight Gold Gloves. The 393 home runs. The 2006 championship. The catches that defy explanation. These things stand on their own.

But what made him special was harder to quantify. It was the combination — the rare, once-in-a-generation alignment of power hitting and elite defense in the most demanding defensive position on the field. Center fielders are supposed to sacrifice one for the other. Edmonds refused to.

Fox Sports once wrote that he may be the best defensive center fielder of all time, that he made more wall-climbing catches than anyone in history, and that when he robbed Adam Dunn of home runs three times in a single season, Dunn reportedly said he would never hit the ball to center field again while Edmonds was out there. That is the kind of respect that money cannot buy.

Scott Rolen, one of the finest third basemen of the same era, put it simply: ‘Offensively and defensively, he is a great, great player. He amazes me every day. It is not just the numbers. It is on both sides of the ball. He is as good as it gets.’

Beyond the individual accolades, Jim Edmonds changed the way people thought about center field defense. He pushed the bar higher. He made other outfielders play differently because they knew what was possible when you committed fully to that position. His influence on the game is real, even if it is the kind of influence that does not show up in a box score.

Broadcasting, Community, and What Comes Next

His role with FanDuel Sports Network Midwest keeps him connected to Cardinals baseball and to the city that gave him the best years of his career. The broadcasting work suits him. He is direct, analytical, and comfortable in front of a camera — qualities built over two decades of high-pressure games.

He is also, by all accounts, deeply connected to his children. The custody situation of 2025 was painful and public, but it appears to have resolved in a way that prioritizes stability for Aspen, Hart, and Hayes. Whatever the complexities between the adults, that outcome matters most.

Jim Edmonds does not appear to be chasing relevance. He has earned a quieter pace. And yet his name keeps surfacing — in Hall of Fame debates, in retrospectives on the greatest center fielders ever, in sports media discussions about undervalued careers. That is what happens when you play the way he did for as long as he did.

Conclusion — The Full Picture of Jim Edmonds

There is no single way to summarize a life as layered as this one. The kid from Fullerton who fell in the draft because of a shoulder injury and spent five years grinding through the minor leagues became one of the finest defensive players of his generation. The seventh-round pick became an eight-time Gold Glove winner. The Cardinal became a champion.

And then, when the game ended, the real life began. The marriages, the children, the divorce, the custody battle, the broadcasting booth. Jim Edmonds has lived loudly, sometimes more loudly than he probably wanted. But through all of it, he has remained someone worth paying attention to.

Whether you know him from the 1997 diving catch, the 2006 World Series, the RHOC years with Meghan King, or the recent custody headlines, the same man runs through all of it — competitive, complex, and deeply tied to the people and the game he loves.

That is the full story of Jim Edmonds. A baseball life that earned every bit of the legend attached to it, and a personal life that is still very much being written.

Q1. What is Jim Edmonds known for in baseball?

Jim Edmonds is best known for being one of the finest defensive center fielders in Major League Baseball history, earning eight Gold Glove Awards across nine seasons. He is equally celebrated for his offensive production — finishing his career with a .284 batting average, 393 home runs, and 1,199 RBIs. Cardinals fans gave him the affectionate nickname ‘Jimmy Ballgame’ for his all-around excellence. His acrobatic catches, fearless play in the outfield, and consistent run production made him one of the most complete players of his era.

Q2. How many Gold Glove Awards did Jim Edmonds win, and how does that compare to other outfielders?

Jim Edmonds won eight Gold Glove Awards, all for his work as a center fielder, spanning from 1997 to 2005. At the time of his retirement, only four outfielders in baseball history had won more: Roberto Clemente (12), Willie Mays (10), Ken Griffey Jr. (10), and Al Kaline (10). That group alone tells you the tier of player Edmonds was. He also won six of his eight Gold Gloves consecutively, from 2000 to 2005, which coincided with his peak years in St. Louis.

Q3. What were Jim Edmonds’ career statistics?

Over 17 MLB seasons (1993–2010), Jim Edmonds compiled a .284 batting average, 393 home runs, 1,949 hits, 1,199 RBIs, 1,251 runs scored, and a career OPS of .903. His OPS+ of 132 means he was 32% better than the average hitter when adjusted for ballpark and era. He also posted a career WAR (Wins Above Replacement) of 60.4, which places him well within the range of many Hall of Fame outfielders. He had eleven 20-home run seasons, five 30-home run seasons, and two 40-home run seasons.

Q4. Which teams did Jim Edmonds play for during his MLB career?

Jim Edmonds played for six franchises across his 17-year career. He started with the California/Anaheim Angels (1993–1999), then was traded to the St. Louis Cardinals (2000–2007) — the tenure that defined his legacy. After leaving St. Louis, he had brief stints with the San Diego Padres (2008), Chicago Cubs (2008), Milwaukee Brewers (2010), and Cincinnati Reds (2010). His best years by far came in St. Louis, where he spent eight seasons and won the 2006 World Series.

Q5. What is the famous Jim Edmonds catch that everyone talks about?

The catch most associated with Jim Edmonds took place on June 10, 1997, at Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City. Playing for the Anaheim Angels, Edmonds broke back at full sprint on a deep fly ball and dove outstretched — completely horizontal — catching the ball on the warning track over his shoulder. Sports journalist Joe Posnanski of The Athletic later ranked it the 29th-greatest moment in all of baseball history. He personally cited both this catch and his 2004 NLCS diving grab as his two career favorites. The 1997 catch earned him his first Gold Glove and cemented his reputation as a generational defensive talent.

Q6. Did Jim Edmonds win a World Series?

Yes. Jim Edmonds won the World Series in 2006 with the St. Louis Cardinals. The Cardinals defeated the Detroit Tigers in five games, and Edmonds contributed meaningfully throughout the postseason. It was the crowning achievement of his time in St. Louis and came after years of playoff appearances that fell just short. In the 2004 NLCS, he hit a walk-off home run in Game 6 against the Houston Astros that is considered one of the greatest postseason moments in Cardinals history.

Q7. Was Jim Edmonds inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame?

No, Jim Edmonds was not inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame. He appeared on the 2016 Hall of Fame ballot but received only 2.5% of the vote — far below the 75% threshold needed for election, and not even enough to remain on the ballot (which requires at least 5%). Many baseball analysts consider his exclusion a significant oversight, pointing to his career WAR of 60.4, eight Gold Gloves, 393 home runs, and postseason heroics as Hall-worthy credentials. The debate around his snub remains active among baseball historians.

Q8. What round was Jim Edmonds drafted in, and by which team?

Jim Edmonds was selected in the seventh round of the 1988 MLB Draft by the California Angels, with the 169th overall pick. He fell that far due to a shoulder injury during his senior season at Diamond Bar High School in Diamond Bar, California. Despite the modest draft placement, he spent five years in the minors steadily working his way up and made his big-league debut on September 9, 1993. Being a seventh-round pick who became an eight-time Gold Glove winner is one of the more remarkable development stories in recent baseball history.

Q9. How did Jim Edmonds end up with the St. Louis Cardinals?

Jim Edmonds was traded to the St. Louis Cardinals in March 2000 in a deal that sent pitcher Kent Bottenfield and infielder Adam Kennedy to the Angels. From the Angels’ perspective, it seemed like a reasonable trade at the time. For the Cardinals, it turned out to be one of the best acquisitions in the franchise’s modern history. Edmonds immediately excelled in St. Louis, setting career highs in his first season with 42 home runs, 108 RBIs, and 129 runs scored. He fell in love with the city and signed a six-year extension before his first season in St. Louis was even finished.

Q10. Where does Jim Edmonds rank among the greatest center fielders of all time?

Jim Edmonds consistently lands in the top 10 on all-time center fielder rankings. MLB Network’s Prime Nine program ranked him 8th-best all-time, ahead of Duke Snider and just below Ken Griffey Jr. Fox Sports described him as possibly the best defensive center fielder ever. ESPN’s Rob Neyer placed him 12th in his Top 100 Players of the Decade (2001–2010). He is widely viewed as the rare combination of elite defense and sustained offensive power at the game’s most demanding outfield position. Many analysts believe he belongs on the short list of the five or six greatest center fielders in baseball history.

Q11. How many times has Jim Edmonds been married?

Jim Edmonds has been married four times. His first marriage was to Lee Ann Horton, with whom he had daughters Hayley and Lauren; Lee Ann passed away from colon cancer in July 2015. His second marriage was to Allison Jayne Raski, which lasted from 2008 to 2014 and produced son Landon and daughter Sutton. His third marriage was to Meghan King, the Real Housewives of Orange County star, from 2014 to 2021, with whom he has daughter Aspen and twin sons Hart and Hayes. He married his current wife, Kortnie O’Connor, in 2022 at a villa in Lake Como, Italy.

Q12. How many children does Jim Edmonds have in total?

Jim Edmonds has seven children across his three previous marriages. With his first wife Lee Ann Horton, he has daughters Hayley and Lauren. With his second wife Allison Jayne Raski, he has son Landon and daughter Sutton. With his third wife Meghan King, he has daughter Aspen and twin sons Hart and Hayes. He has spoken openly about how important family life is to him, particularly in his post-broadcasting era, telling a radio interviewer in 2025 that one of his biggest motivations for stepping back from Cardinals broadcasts was simply wanting to be a present father.

Q13. What happened with Jim Edmonds and Meghan King’s divorce?

Jim Edmonds filed for divorce from Meghan King on October 25, 2019 — the day after their fifth wedding anniversary. The split followed public allegations from Meghan that Jim had engaged in inappropriate communication with their children’s nanny, Carly Wilson. Edmonds denied any physical infidelity. The divorce was finalized in 2021, with both parties initially settling on a 50/50 joint custody arrangement for their three children — Aspen, Hart, and Hayes. Their post-divorce co-parenting relationship was contentious, with ongoing disputes over child support and living arrangements that eventually escalated into the custody battle of 2025.

Q14. What happened with the custody battle between Meghan King and Jim Edmonds?

In November 2025, Meghan King temporarily lost physical custody of her three children with Jim Edmonds after a Child Protective Services investigation. The investigation was triggered by a school employee who reported that Meghan had allegedly administered unprescribed Ritalin to one of her twin sons, Hayes, who had not been diagnosed with ADHD, and asked a school nurse to do the same. Edmonds traveled to Missouri with his wife Kortnie. Meghan was initially given only supervised visitation. A court hearing was scheduled for December 9, 2025, but the couple reached a private out-of-court agreement before that date. Under the terms, Jim Edmonds was granted primary custody and the three children now live full-time with him in Tennessee.

Q15. Who is Jim Edmonds’ current wife, Kortnie O’Connor?

Kortnie O’Connor is Jim Edmonds’ fourth wife. The two began dating after his divorce from Meghan King was finalized, and they married in 2022 in a destination wedding at a 19th-century villa in Lake Como, Italy, with approximately 32 guests. Kortnie has been an active presence in Jim’s social media life and played a visible role during the 2025 custody situation, including hosting the children for Thanksgiving and Aspen’s ninth birthday party in Tennessee. She and Jim now live in Tennessee with the three children from his marriage to Meghan King.

Q16. What did Jim Edmonds do after retiring from baseball in 2010?

After officially retiring from professional baseball in 2011 due to a lingering Achilles injury, Jim Edmonds transitioned into broadcasting. He joined the St. Louis Cardinals’ regional television broadcast team in 2013 and spent 12 seasons as an analyst and color commentator — first with Fox Sports Midwest and later with FanDuel Sports Network Midwest after the rebranding. He was also inducted into the St. Louis Cardinals Hall of Fame in August 2014. In addition to broadcasting, he ventured into the restaurant business with partner Mark Winfield, opening several St. Louis-area restaurants, though none of them had lasting success.

Q17. Why did Jim Edmonds leave the Cardinals broadcasting team in 2025?

Jim Edmonds departed the FanDuel Sports Network Midwest Cardinals broadcast team before the 2025 season. In a candid 40-minute radio interview on 101 ESPN’s ‘The Morning After’ in February 2025, he described the departure as a near-mutual decision, but expressed frustration with the Cardinals organization. He said the culture around the team had shifted significantly — alumni were no longer welcomed around the ballpark the way they once were, and he felt the broadcast setup offered little preparation or guidance, with the network essentially wanting him to just ‘sit there and talk.’ He also noted that prioritizing fatherhood was a major factor in his decision.

Q18. What restaurants did Jim Edmonds open in St. Louis?

Jim Edmonds opened three restaurants in the St. Louis area, all in partnership with Mark Winfield. The first was Jim Edmonds 15 Steakhouse, which opened in 2007 while he was still playing for the Cardinals and closed in September 2013. The space was then rebranded as The Precinct, which closed in May 2015. In 2015, they opened a BBQ-style restaurant called Winfield’s Gathering Place in Kirkwood, Missouri, but that too closed in July 2016. Despite the closures, the steakhouse in particular was well-regarded for its food quality during its run and became a popular St. Louis dining destination.

Q19. What is Jim Edmonds’ estimated net worth?

Jim Edmonds’ estimated net worth is approximately $20 million to $35 million, depending on the source, with Celebrity Net Worth placing it at $20 million and other outlets estimating as high as $35 million. His wealth stems primarily from his baseball earnings — he earned more than $90.9 million in career salary alone, including a six-year, $57 million extension he signed with the Cardinals in 2001. Post-retirement income has come from broadcasting, real estate investments, and business ventures. He sold his Frontenac, Missouri property — originally listed at $8.99 million — in June 2025 and purchased a $4 million home in Tennessee.

Q20. Should Jim Edmonds be in the Baseball Hall of Fame?

The debate around Jim Edmonds and the Hall of Fame is one of the more compelling in modern baseball. His career WAR of 60.4 places him in the range of many enshrined center fielders. He owns eight Gold Gloves, 393 home runs, an OPS+ of 132, and one of the most celebrated postseason moments in Cardinals history. ESPN analyst Rob Neyer called him one of the most undervalued players of his generation. The argument against inclusion often centers on name recognition rather than performance. Many analysts who have studied his numbers closely believe he belongs — whether he gets there through the Veterans Committee remains to be seen.

Q21. What is Jim Edmonds’ nickname, and how did he get it?

Jim Edmonds is nicknamed ‘Jimmy Baseball’ and ‘Jimmy Ballgame’ — both given to him by St. Louis Cardinals fans during his peak years in St. Louis. The nicknames reflect the totality of his game: a player who impacted every part of a baseball game, not just with a single skill but with his bat, his glove, his instincts, and his flair for the dramatic. The ‘Jimmy Ballgame’ nickname in particular became a term of endearment among Cardinals fans who saw him as the embodiment of what a complete baseball player looks like.

Q22. Was Jim Edmonds part of the famous Cardinals ‘MV3’ lineup?

Yes. During his prime years in St. Louis, Jim Edmonds was a central piece of the Cardinals’ legendary ‘MV3’ lineup alongside Albert Pujols at first base and Scott Rolen at third base. All three were considered among the best players in the National League during that period, and the trio helped make the Cardinals one of the most feared offenses in baseball from roughly 2003 to 2006. Scott Rolen himself said of Edmonds: ‘He amazes me every day. On both sides of the ball. He’s as good as it gets.’ That 2006 Cardinals team won the World Series with all three still contributing.

Q23. Where does Jim Edmonds live now?

As of 2025–2026, Jim Edmonds lives in Tennessee with his wife Kortnie and his three children from his marriage to Meghan King — Aspen, Hart, and Hayes. He sold his long-time Frontenac, Missouri home (a suburb of St. Louis) in June 2025 after listing it for $8.99 million, and purchased a $4 million property in Tennessee. He had previously split his time between Missouri and Tennessee, but the 2025 custody agreement — which placed the children in his primary care — consolidated the family’s base in Tennessee.

Q24. What is Jim Edmonds doing today in 2026? As of April 2026, Jim Edmonds is primarily focused on being a full-time parent to his three youngest children — Aspen, Hart, and Hayes — who now live with him in Tennessee following the 2025 custody agreement with his ex-wife Meghan King. He stepped away from his Cardinals broadcasting role before the 2025 season after 12 years in the booth, citing frustration with the organization’s culture and a desire to prioritize fatherhood. He has expressed interest in potentially becoming involved with Cardinals ownership in the future. He remains active on social media and is a respected voice when baseball analysts discuss the greatest center fielders in the history of the game.