As he prepares for first full MLB season, Marlins’ Xavier Edwards has a lofty goal in mind
Xavier Edwards didn’t want to give away the secret. As he enters his first full MLB season, the Miami Marlins’ shortstop had a set goal in mind for one specific aspect of his game.
“A lot of stolen bases,” he said.
How many, exactly? Edwards was coy for a brief moment. But when pressed slightly, he relented.
“Sixty-plus,” Edwards said.
It’s a number that has only been hit three times in Marlins history. Juan Pierre has the franchise record with 65 in the 2003 season. Luis Castillo is next with 62 in the 2000 season. And Dee Strange-Gordon got to 60 on the mark in the 2017 season.
But if there’s anyone on this Marlins team that can do that — and do so with perhaps ease — it’s Edwards, Miami’s 25-year-old switch-hitter who is the team’s presumptive leadoff hitter and one of the few players slated to be an everyday fixture in the lineup.
After all, Edwards stole 31 bases on 35 attempts in just 70 games last season, a rate that would put him at about 71 over the course of a full 162-game season. His 31 stolen bases last season ranked tied for 17th in MLB and he was the only player in MLB to steal at least 30 bases in that few amount of games — everyone else who got at least 30 stolen bases played at least 88 games.
“I feel like you always think you can do it,” Edwards said, “but you don’t really know until you actually go out and do it, so that was a big thing for me.”
There are many factors that go into being a successful base stealer. Being fast is a perk, and Edwards has speed — he ranked in the 78th percentile in MLB for sprint speed last season, according to Baseball Savant — but there is so much more data and information that goes into it. Understanding the pitcher you’re facing, how they’re going to attack the hitter at the plate and being keen on the game situation all come into play.
“When you have all the information in front of you,” Edwards said, “it makes it a lot easier just go look for one cue or one thing that stands out from the pitcher. Look for that and try to exploit that as much as you can.”
Now, in order to have any chance to steal bases, Edward must first get on base. He’s been pretty successful at doing that.
Last season, Edwards hit .328 with 12 doubles, five triples and one home run over 303 plate appearances.
Of the 286 players with at least 300 plate appearances last season, Edwards’ batting average was second only to Kansas City’s Bobby Witt Jr., who hit .332. Edwards had a three-triple game on Sept. 27 at Toronto and he hit for cycle July 28 at Milwaukee. He had 28 multi-hit games and walked in 10.9 percent of his plate appearances in 2024.
“For X, it’s the quality of at-bats that many have seen here and saw last year,” first-year Marlins manager Clayton McCullough said. “Being a switch-hitter at the top of the lineup, too. He works at-bats very well. He sprays the ball around more times than not. You’re going to get a really quality, consistent at-bat. And there’s a speed component there that he provides when he is on base. The opposition has to at least pay some attention there to that with his ability to steal bases. And now, in turn, you’re hoping that leads to the pitcher having to get out of his rhythm a little bit. And is that advantageous for that person hitting.”
While Edwards’ baserunning and production at the plate are already at high levels, he knows he needs to shore things up defensively. Last season was his first getting an extended run at shortstop and the results weren’t always great. While Edwards was about league average with his range, his arm strength proved costly. He finished the season with minus-10 outs above average, which ranked second to last among 32 shortstops who played at least 550 innings at the position in 2024.
Edwards said he was dealing with some shoulder issues throughout the season, which impacted his ability to make some of the tougher throws. He said his shoulder “actually feels healthy” now, which has been “a huge sigh of relief and bonus for me coming into the season.”
“We’ve been tweaking stuff in practice to kind of figure out what’s better for me,” Edwards said. “We’ve been doing a lot of work. I’m excited, feeling confident going into the year and just excited to show what I’ve got.”
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