The 1999 season was a frustrating one for Anaheim Angels all-star outfielder Darin Erstad. After playing two promising seasons, which hinted at the birth of a top-notch player, his star lost some of its luster following a career-low .253 batting average and a laundry list of nagging injuries that hampered him throughout the year.

After flirting with a .300 average the previous two seasons, he suddenly found himself looking for answers. As a perfectionist with a throwback hard-nosed approach, the disappointing performance ate at him while he tried to figure out what went wrong.

Instead of blaming outside forces, Erstad looked inward and reevaluated his preparation for baseball. During that off-season, he met with former Angels strength and conditioning coach Tom Wilson who turned Erstad's attention toward nutrition. Like the majority of other professional athletes, Erstad never considered his diet as an area in need of improvement.

"There's no question it's the last thing you look at," said Erstad. "I just wanted to get totally committed to what I was doing. I always look hard at doing everything I can to be successful and look for a new edge. When you've had some injury problems, you try to cover all of your bases, and that was one of the last ones."

Erstad underwent a blood panel, which was used to locate nutritional deficiencies in his diet. A strict meal plan was then designed specifically to his needs, meaning he was now eating a lot more vegetables and foods high in protein while cutting out breads and soda. He also reduced the unhealthy fats going into his body and replaced them with healthy fats from oils such as olive, flax, grape seed, and sunflower.

The change in lifestyle was difficult to become accustomed to at first and required a lot of forethought. Especially during road trips, when his wife would call ahead to the hotel the Angels were staying at to arrange for the preparation of his healthy meals. But it didn't take long for him to notice positive results, which made the transition easier.

"Your body knows how to use those foods better and once your train your body to handle them, you basically become a fat burning machine," said Erstad. "It definitely creates a lot of self discipline because you may have to eat some things you don't want to eat."

An off-season of combining an already strict workout program with his new nutrition plan, paid immediate dividends. He attracted attention early in the 2000 baseball season by hitting a mind-boggling .449 in April.

Erstad's torrid hitting continued throughout the year, as he even teased with the notion of becoming the first player in 60 years to hit .400 in a season. He was collecting base hits at a rate that hadn't been seen since the 1930's, but it is difficult to maintain such a pace throughout an entire 162-game season. Even though his hitting eventually cooled off somewhat, he still topped his average from the previous season by more than 100 points by batting a career-high .355.

His performance, which earned him a spot in his first All-Star Game, also included 240 hits, which was the 12th highest total in the 124-year history of Major League Baseball. He also posted career bests with 25 home runs and 28 steals, as well as 100 RBI-the most ever by a leadoff hitter.

The achievements were recognized with post-season honors as he turned the rare trick of winning both the Gold Glove and Silver Slugger Awards, which are awarded separately to just nine players in each league for their offensive and defensive excellence.

Erstad's success also carried off the field. He started the 2000 season at 205 pounds with 9 ½ percent body fat. When the season ended, he still weighed the same but trimmed another two percent of body fat.

"That's what maximizes all the work you put into it," said Erstad on his refined fitness plan. "If you eat badly, you're working out to even it out. Your gains aren't going to be nearly what they can be as if you pay attention to all facets of getting in shape."

Following a second off-season of combining his improved eating habits with weightlifting, he began the 2001 season at a bulked up 220 pounds, but remained lean with eight percent body fat. It remains to be seen if he can duplicate the success he had on the field, but he readily admits that to reach his current level of excellence he just needed to change his approach at the plate.