North Dakota – Darin Erstad
Darin Erstad was born in Jamestown on June 4, 1974, and spent the majority of his 14-year career as an outfielder and first baseman for the Angels. He and Garret Anderson hold the distinction of being the only players to be part of the franchise for its years as the California Angels, the Anaheim Angels, and the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim.
Erstad’s calling card was his defense, and he won a gold glove while playing three different primary positions: left field in 2000, center field in 2002 and first base in 2004. Erstad had a respectable career batting line of .282/.336/.407, but he had one of the biggest out-of-nowhere seasons in baseball history in 2000.
In 1999 Erstad hit .253 with 13 home runs and 53 RBI. In 2001 Erstad hit .258 with nine home runs and 63 RBI. That year in between, Erstad exploded as the Angels’ leadoff hitter, pounding out 240 hits for a .355 batting average. He hit 25 home runs and became the first player in MLB history to drive in 100 runs from the leadoff spot.
Erstad was an obvious All-Star in 2000, hitting .384 with 17 homers and 66 RBI in the first half, but he also made the team in 1998 after hitting .313 with 18 homers and 59 RBI before the break. In those two games, Erstad would go 0-4 with a run scored and an RBI.
Erstad was never able to come close to replicating his 2000 success. Only once more would he reach a double-digit home run total before retiring after the 2009 season.