Coming into the 2022 MLB season, Anthony Castrovince from MLB.com posted the All MLB underrated team for this season. There were some good names on there from Ty France to Joe Musgrove, however they forgot arguably the definition of an underrated player in Tommy Edman.
The Cardinals drafted Tommy Edman in the 6th round of the 2016 MLB draft from Stanford University. He stayed in the Cardinals minor league system up until 2019 when he received a mid season call up after hitting .305 with 7 home runs, 29 RBI’s and 9 stolen bases over 49 games. He automatically made a impact on the big league roster with his ability to play all over the infield and outfield as in the 92 games he played in 2019 he played 3rd, 2nd and every position in the outfield along with hitting .304 with 11 home runs, 36 RBI’s and 15 stolen bases in 16 attempts. He also had one of the fastest sprint speeds in the Major Leagues at 29.4 feet per second.
Fast forward to 2020 and manager Mike Shildt named Edman the starting 3rd baseman over struggling 3rd baseman Matt Carpenter. Tommy ended up hitting .250 with 5 home runs and 26 RBI’s which was his 1st “down year” since being drafted as throughout the minor leagues he hit anywhere from .260 to .305.
However, 2021 was considered his breakout year. At the age of 26, Tommy spent the majority of his time at 2nd base with the off-season addition of Nolan Arenado at 3rd base. In 641 at bats, which led the league, Edman hit .269 with 11 home runs and 56 RBI’s along with 30 stolen bases and 41 doubles.
Tommy "2 Bags" was becoming a fan favorite in St.Louis with his gap to gap hitting along with elite defense. His defensive prowess won him his 1st ever gold glove at 2nd base, beating out former Cardinals' 2nd baseman Kolten Wong for the prestigious award.
So far this year, Edman’s performance has continued to grow. In 232 at bats he’s hitting .280 with 6 homers and 25 RBI’s along with 15 stolen bases, which so far leads the MLB. He is also the new everyday shortstop with Paul Dejong being demoted and his gold glove performance follows him to the new position.
With the All Star break looming, Edman has beyond earned himself an All-Star berth and continues to show why he is the most underrated player in the MLB. I mean, who wouldn’t want a speedy gap to gap switch hitter who plays elite defense regardless of the position? Newsflash baseball fans, Edman is legit, and he is here to stay.