1993–1996: Emergence as a power hitter On September 7, 1993, the Angels promoted Edmonds to the majors for the first time. He made his MLB debut on September 9, starting in left field against the Detroit Tigers at Tiger Stadium, going 0-for-4 with 2 strikeouts. Edmonds collected his first major league hit on September 10 against the Toronto Blue Jays in the SkyDome, a pinch-hit double in the ninth inning off of Duane Ward. Edmonds collected his first major league RBI on September 14 against Seattle Mariners pitcher Roger Salkeld, driving in Chad Curtis with a single. In his September call-up 1993 season, Edmonds batted .246 in 61 at bats across 18 games. Despite the signings of outfielders Bo Jackson and Dwight Smith in the offseason, Edmonds made the Angels' 1994 Opening Day roster. Edmonds received sporadic playing time for the first half of the season, often pinch hitting and rarely starting games. He did not hit his first major league home run until May 11, 1994, in a game against the Texas Rangers where he hit a 2-run shot off Rick Helling. Through his first 50 games in 1994, Edmonds was batting .328 with a .405 on-base percentage. By June, Edmonds began to receive more regular playing time, serving as the primary left fielder after Bo Jackson had been benched and Dwight Smith had been traded to Baltimore. Midway through the season, Edmonds was considered by the media to be a prime candidate for the AL Rookie of the Year Award. Although Edmonds's high averages regressed as he played more games, he finished the strike-shortened season batting .273 with 5 home runs and 37 RBIs. He placed eighth in AL Rookie of the Year voting. With the departure of Chad Curtis in the offseason, Edmonds became the Angels' everyday center fielder for the 1995 season. In his new role as the team's primary center fielder, Edmonds also emerged as a formidable power hitter; he only had 29 home runs in his 6-year minor league career and 5 in his true rookie season, leading to him being initially recognized as a contact hitter when coupled with his high batting averages. Edmonds did not hit any home runs through the first 17 games of the 1995 season, but hit 6 with an .857 slugging percentage in an 8-game stretch from May 15 to May 23. Edmonds received his first All-Star Game