Miami Marlins prospect Xavier Edwards on MLB call up: ‘a moment I’ll never forget’
Xavier Edwards couldn’t tell if the announcement was a joke. He was sitting in the front row of the Triple A Jacksonville team bus with manager Daren Brown on Monday after they arrived in Memphis for their next series.
“I was sitting up there with him as a joke,” Edwards said, “and then he put his arm around me and told me. It was definitely a moment I’ll never forget.”
The moment: Brown told Edwards the Miami Marlins were calling him up to the big leagues.
Edwards, a switch-hitting utility player who graduated from North Broward Prep in Coconut Creek and is ranked as the No. 12 prospect in the Marlins’ organization according to MLB Pipeline, didn’t have to wait long to make his MLB debut with about 20 family members and friends in attendance at loanDepot park.
Manager Skip Schumaker had Edwards play in the late innings of each of their losses to Atlanta on Tuesday and Wednesday — pinch-hitting in the ninth inning in Tuesday’s 6-0 loss to make his debut and playing three innings of second base and getting two more at-bats (and his first hit) in Wednesday’s 14-6 rout.
That was by design, Schumaker said. He wasn’t sure exactly when he would have the opportunity to get Edwards in the starting lineup, but he didn’t want the 23-year-old to wait too long for his moment to take the field.
“I think it’s important to get the rookie in right away,” Schumaker said. “[Tony] La Russa did it with me with David Wells on the mound. Three pitches and a strikeout to make my debut over with. That was not ideal, but I understand why he did it. Yeah. I tried to get him in. I mean, he’s from here. The game [Tuesday] kind of got away from us, so I tried to get him a quick at-bat, hopefully get a hit there. ... I’d like to get him some at-bats before he gets a start here.”
The Marlins acquired Edwards as well as relief pitcher JT Chargois from the Tampa Bay Rays in a November trade in exchange for a pair of pitcher prospects. Edwards was off to a strong start in Triple A before the call up, hitting .306 (22 for 72) with 21 runs scored, seven stolen bases, and nearly twice as many walks (15) as strikeouts (seven) through 20 games. He split time defensively between second base and center field, the latter of which he is playing for the first time in his career.
He’s primarily a contact-oriented, table-setter type hitter but he got away from that style last season as he tried to hit for more power. Edwards said he has been trying to get back to his old form so he can be “that kind of player that’s exciting to watch.”
“I’m staying aggressive,” Edwards said. “Staying with the small ball. Not being afraid to use the bunt and getting on base as much as I can.”
He’s displayed that with his first few at-bats. Edwards lined out to left field in his first plate appearance in the ninth inning on Tuesday before logging his first MLB hit in the seventh inning on Wednesday, hitting a Dylan Lee fastball up the middle for a single. He eventually scored on Jesus Sanchez’s home run.
“You’ve got to be excited for anyone’s first big-league hit,” Schumaker said. “They’ve thought about that since they were probably 5, 6 years old. That never gets lost. It’s exciting. It doesn’t matter what the score is. Hearing his family behind us screaming, it’s just a really cool moment for him.”
Edwards added: “It puts it all into perspective a bit. Having my family and friends here, getting my first hit, getting my first innings of defense, it’s definitely what I’ve always worked toward my whole life. It’s fun to see it come to fruition.”
This story was originally published May 4, 2023 at 10:54 AM.
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