CLEVELAND -- Xavier Edwards is a “hit collector,” as Marlins manager Clayton McCullough endearingly calls him. No one would mistake the 5-foot-8, 175-pound Edwards for a slugger when he flicks singles to left with ease.
That is until Edwards turned on righty Gavin Williams’ four-seamer for a leadoff homer in Wednesday night’s victory over the Guardians. Edwards’ third career tater traveled a Statcast-projected 402 feet to right field, a powerful swing that surprised many at Progressive Field.
“He lets us know that there's more in the tank,” McCullough said prior to Thursday night’s 9-4 loss to Cleveland. “We tell him, ‘We're not in Missouri, X. Sometimes you've got to show us.’ X, last night, I'm not going to lie, that was an insta trot. That one off the bat was a no-doubt homer.”
Showcasing that kind of pop isn’t by accident. Edwards admitted that he changed his approach over the last month or so, and the data supports his statement.
Edwards’ pull rate has gone from 23.3% in June to 30.4% in July to 34.6% in August entering Thursday’s series finale. It would be his highest single-month pull rate since September 2023 (minimum 30 batted balls).
Here is a breakdown of Edwards’ contact over the past two months:
Before July 1: 25.6% pull, 37.2% straight, 37.2% oppo, no barrels, no homers
Since July 1: 31.9% pull, 39.6% straight, 28.5% oppo, three barrels, two homers
Seven of Edwards’ 10 hardest-hit balls of the season have come since July 1, including Wednesday’s tater.
“I'm trying to be aggressive as often as I can,” Edwards said. “Just kind of tweaked my approach to be a bit more aggressive and see if I could drive the ball a bit more. But more so doubles, more than anything, in that aspect. Singles will come as well. I'm just ready to hit a fastball. He threw it, put a swing on it, and it went.”
Over this past weekend in Atlanta, hitting coach Pedro Guerrero called Edwards a great hitter who makes great decisions. He knows who he is at the plate and what he needs to do.
When prodded further on how a young hitter gets to that point, Guerrero elaborated it’s often up to the player. A coach’s goal is to push him toward what he can become.
“Can you become a little bit better?” Guerrero said. “And I think we've seen that in some areas. He hit [.328] last year. We're trying to continue that. It's a great feat, but we think he can hit for a little more doubles, too, not just try to punch balls the other way. And we've seen that. His OPS is slightly higher this year, and we’re very excited with where he’s at.”
Edwards, who turned 26 on Saturday, isn’t trying to collect more extra-base hits at the expense of his hit tool. Miami’s longest-tenured position player has a .307 average, which trails only Dodgers All-Star catcher Will Smith (.312) for the National League batting title.
During his nine-game hitting streak, Edwards has a .452 average (19-for-42) with three extra-base hits, six steals, seven runs and seven multihit performances. After Wednesday’s leadoff blast, Edwards reached on an infield hit to open Thursday’s three-run first inning. He also singled to right to begin a two-out rally in the ninth.
This production coincides with Edwards’ move from shortstop back to second base. At the time of the switch, he ranked as one of MLB’s worst defenders and was batting just .262. Since June 1, when he started at second for the first time this season, Edwards leads the Majors with 87 hits and a .337 average.
“I'd seen the metrics, and you're obviously trying your best to help the team win, but feeling like you're kind of falling short or not helping the team, it's tough to deal with as a competitor,” Edwards admitted. “When all you want to do is win and help the team, and you feel like you're not doing that, it's tough for us all, honestly. It was tough for me, for sure, just not feeling like I was helping our team the best way I could or the best way I felt like I was capable of doing.
“Happy now, for sure. Happy with the move back to second and to be able to just contribute, help the team win. I feel like that's what we all want going into the season. That's what we envision. You put up whatever numbers that you may want before the year, but usually with those numbers, it comes with helping the team win, and that's what we're all after.”