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It was June 10, 1997 when then-Angels center fielder Jim Edmonds made one of the best catches in MLB history. Here we go ...
Now, note that I said "one of" and not "the" greatest catches in MLB history, so we don't need to get into ranking things (Willie Mays! Gary Matthews Jr.!) and should instead just enjoy the amazing defensively display put on by Edmonds.
The degree of difficulty is off the charts here. The hardest thing to do in center field is go straight back on the ball. At least at an angle, one never has to take his eye off the ball. Straight back like that, though, there's a point where he has to just stop looking at the ball. Team that with the dive and Edmonds had to essentially judge where the ball would end up, dive and place his glove in that spot. He did it.
Edmonds would win the first of eight Gold Gloves that season in his great 17-year career. He'll join the Hall of Fame ballot in 2015 (for the 2016 induction) for the first time, along with the likes of Ken Griffey Jr., Trevor Hoffman and Billy Wagner. Edmonds is rightfully a major longshot to ever make it, but his entry on the ballot is well-deserved.
Hat-tip: Eric Kay Angels on Twitter
