Darin Erstad Season 1994
#6A two-sport star at Nebraska, Erstad was a first-team All-American and Big Eight Co-Player of the Year as a junior in 1995, batting .410 with 19 homers and 76 RBIs. A Golden Spikes Award finalist as a junior, he finished his Husker career holding school records for most hits (six), runs (six), and RBIs (six) in a game; most hits (103) and total bases (194) in a single season (1995) and most career hits (261). In addition to his exploits on the diamond, Erstad, a two-time academic all-conference selection, was also the starting punter for the Huskers’ 1994 national championship football team, helping NU to a 13-0 record.
The No. 1 overall pick in the 1995 amateur draft, Darin Erstad enjoyed more than a decade in the Major Leagues, playing with the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, Chicago White Sox and Houston Astros. During his playing career, Erstad won a World Series ring with the Angels in 2002 and appeared in the MLB Playoffs three times.
In 2005, Erstad helped the Angels to their second straight American League West title, batting .273 with seven homers and 66 RBIs. He was second among American League first basemen with a .997 fielding percentage and was honored for his charitable work, as he was selected as the Angels’ recipient of the 2005 Roberto Clemente Award for his efforts in the Southern California community.
Erstad made Major League history in 2004, becoming the first player to ever win Gold Gloves in the infield and outfield when he was chosen as the Gold Glove winner at first base. Erstad won his two previous Gold Gloves as a center fielder in 2000 and 2002. He ranked third among American League first basemen with a .996 fielding percentage in 2004, committing four errors in 1,056 total chances. Erstad helped the Angels to their first American League West Division title in 16 years, batting .295 with seven homers and 69 RBIs.
During the 2002 regular season, he batted .283 with 10 homers and 73 RBIs, while leading the Angels with 23 stolen bases. Defensively, he led all AL center fielders with a .998 fielding percentage, committing one error in 473 total chances, en route to his second Gold Glove in three years. During the postseason, Erstad batted .352 with a pair of homers, while tying a Major League record with 25 hits in the Angels’ first playoff appearance since 1986.
He enjoyed a career year in 2000, leading the Majors with 240 base hits, batting .355 and topping the Angels in seven categories, including average, runs, hits, total bases and stolen bases. His 240 hits tied for the 12th most in Major League history and the most since Wade Boggs had 240 in 1985. Erstad earned an All-Star bid for the second time and won his first Gold Glove, committing three errors in 362 total chances for a .992 fielding percentage.
In 1998, he hit .296 with 82 RBIs and 84 runs scored, and became an All-Star for the first time in his career. His jump to the Major Leagues came after only one year in the minors. Erstad hit .284 with four homers and 20 runs batted in during 57 games as a rookie in 1996. In 1997, he landed the Angels’ starting first base job, finishing the season with a .299 average and 16 home runs. In 1998, Erstad played in 133 games and hit .296 with 19 home runs and 82 RBIs.
Erstad spent his last two seasons with the Houston Astros, hitting .276 with four homers and 31 RBIs in his first season with the club. The 140 games he appeared in during the 2008 season was his highest total since 2005. In 2007, he appeared in 87 games for the Chicago White Sox after spending his first 11 years with the Angels, hitting .248 with four homers and 32 RBIs despite a sprained ankle that restricted his playing time. It was the second straight year that Erstad battled injuries, as he played in just 40 contests in 2006, his final season with Los Angeles.