selection in 1995 and was batting .291 with 13 home runs and 52 RBIs at the All-Star break. Edmonds finished the 1995 season batting .290 with 33 home runs and 107 RBIs. Edmonds returned to the Angels in 1996 as one of the team's best all-around hitters. On March 7, he agreed to a 4-year, $9.5 million contract extension with the Angels that included a team option in the fifth year. He suffered groin and stomach injuries on May 25, sidelining him for a month. Edmonds returned to the field on June 10 but sprained his thumb the following day, causing him to be out for another month. He returned to action on July 18, going 2-for-5 with a home run against the Seattle Mariners. Edmonds finished the 1996 season batting .304 with 27 home runs and 66 RBIs. 1997–1999: Gold Glove selections Edmonds, along with Tim Salmon, Garret Anderson, and Darin Erstad, comprised a group of four outfielders that emerged as viable options for the Angels in the mid-1990s. This created a dilemma for the team's front office, who sought to have all four players serve as everyday starters. As a result, the Angels traded designated hitter Chili Davis and first baseman J. T. Snow for pitching in the 1996–97 offseason in order to create playing time for all four outfielders. Amid the positional shakeup, Edmonds was able to stay in center field while Erstad moved to first base. Edmonds received recognition for his defensive prowess in 1997, often making highlight reels. During a June 10, 1997, game against the Kansas City Royals, Edmonds ran straight back towards the center field wall of Kauffman Stadium and dove outstretched for a fly ball over his head, making the catch on the warning track. The catch is widely viewed as one of the greatest defensive plays in baseball history, with Joe Posnanski of The Athletic ranking it as the 29th-greatest moment in all of baseball history. In the 1997 season, Edmonds batted .291 and hit 26 home runs with 80 RBIs. Following the season, he received his first career Gold Glove Award. In September 1998, the division-leading Angels fell behind the Texas Rangers in the standings, ultimately losing the division and missing out on the playoffs. Edmonds, despite batting .340 that month with 5 home runs and 20 RBIs, was criticized by some teammates for his purported nonchalance towards the Angels'