Tommy Two Hits: Edman Has Come Up Huge for the Dodgers

Superstars on nine-figure contracts have performed a significant function within the Dodgers each reaching the World Collection and taking a two-games-to-none lead over the Yankees, however Los Angeles wouldn’t be on this place with out the work of Tommy Edman. Acquired from the Cardinals on July 29, the 29-year-old switch-hitter joined the enjoying time combine at each shortstop and middle area — the latter of which has been the Dodgers’ weakest place this season — and after making strong contributions down the stretch, he’s stepped up in spectacular vogue in October. He earned NLCS MVP honors in opposition to the Mets and has continued his sizzling hitting by way of the primary two video games of the World Collection whereas exhibiting off his defensive versatility. At this writing, he’s using a streak of 5 straight two-hit video games, 4 of which have included an extra-base hit.

Edman moved from the Cardinals to the Dodgers in the identical three-way, eight-player blockbuster that introduced reliever Michael Kopech to Los Angeles from the White Sox. On the time he was dealt, Edman had but to seem in a significant league recreation this season. Lingering issues from offseason surgical procedure on his proper wrist stored him sidelined by way of the primary half, with a sprained proper ankle in late June setting again his deliberate rehab project a few additional weeks.

Between the need of additional rehab and the reacquisition of Amed Rosario on the identical day of the three-way commerce, it wasn’t initially clear what the Dodgers had in retailer for Edman, however each shortstop and middle area represented areas of want. The Dodgers started the season with Mookie Betts at shortstop (after a mid-spring swap with Gavin Lux), then turned to Miguel Rojas when Betts suffered a fracture in his left hand on June 15. In middle, the Dodgers left the gate with 2023 shock James Outman because the starter, however he struggled to copy his rookie exhibiting, incomes a return ticket to Triple-A Oklahoma Metropolis. He was changed by rookie Andy Pages, whose high-profile defensive gaffes within the center pasture led to a deadline day commerce for light-hitting glove whiz Kevin Kiermaier.

Earlier than becoming a member of the Dodgers, Edman accomplished his rehab project at Oklahoma Metropolis, then debuted on August 19, with Pages initially optioned to make room on the roster (by that time, Rosario had already been designated for project). Regardless of his platoon points — extra on which under — Edman was within the lineup for all however two of the Dodgers’ closing 37 video games, and got here off the bench for these. He cut up his time between middle area (24 video games, 22 begins) and shortstop (18 video games, 13 begins), generally serving as a shifting half in-game; he additionally made a two-inning cameo at second base, which simply occurs to be the place the place he gained a Gold Glove in 2021.

With Rojas battling hamstring, groin, and adductor accidents late within the season, Edman began six of the Dodgers’ closing 11 video games at that spot, however middle area has typically been the Dodgers’ greater downside. Even with Pages hitting properly in restricted responsibility upon returning when rosters expanded in September, each the 83 wRC+ and 0.9 WAR the staff obtained on the spot (together with Edman’s contributions) represented their lowest marks at any place. Dragged down by a season-ending 2-for-30 stoop, Edman’s personal offensive numbers had been fairly modest: .237/.294/.417 (98 wRC+) with six homers and 6 steals in 153 plate appearances. His small-sample defensive metrics had been inside one run of common on both aspect throughout the board; he completed with 0.9 WAR.

Supervisor Dave Roberts has known as upon Edman’s versatility throughout the postseason. He began the primary three video games of the Division Collection in opposition to the Padres in middle area, then moved to shortstop within the third inning of Sport 3 after Rojas left as a result of a torn adductor muscle, and remained on the spot by way of the whole NLCS in opposition to the Mets and Sport 1 of the World Collection; in Sport 2, with Rojas again within the lineup, Edman returned to middle.

Previous to Sport 4 of the NLCS — his large breakout, which I’ll element additional under — Edman spoke of the significance of the Dodgers’ first-round bye. “I feel what was good was having that bye… I completed the season actually chilly after which I had, like, 5 – 6 days to do some actually good work on the swing,” he stated. “And positively felt higher as soon as the postseason began.”

As I famous when the Dodgers acquired him, Edman has proven a considerable platoon cut up over the course of his profession, hitting a lot better in opposition to lefties than righties — a lot in order that final season, he even took 61 PA in opposition to righties from the right-hand aspect (he did so 4 occasions in 2021 as properly), hitting the ball tougher however getting much less bang for his buck, results-wise. For the Dodgers, his skill to play middle and shortstop has trumped his offensive points, however even throughout the small samples of his common season efficiency, his platoon cut up solely grew wider, and in some way it’s turn into much more drastic in October:

Edman has hit the ball tougher in opposition to lefties than righties in every of his six main league seasons, with greater exit velocities, barrel charges, and hard-hit charges throughout the board. That’s particularly been the case this yr, as his high quality of contact in opposition to righties has been fairly meager, each within the common season and the postseason. Observe that whereas the default on Baseball Savant is to take away bunts from the averages, I’ve included them above for this postseason, as Edman’s three, all in opposition to righties, take up a considerable portion of his alternatives (he didn’t bunt throughout the common season). Collectively these three bunts drag his common exit velo in that cut up down from 87.2 mph to 82.5, and his hard-hit fee from 25.8% to 23.5%, however they enhance his slash stats, as one in all them was a base hit.

Edman has additionally taken three PA in opposition to righties from the fitting aspect throughout this postseason. He had a pair of groundouts in opposition to Jeremiah Estrada within the NLDS, the primary of which was a double play ball that truly plated the Dodgers’ closing run in a 7-5 win in Sport 1. He additionally grounded out in opposition to Tommy Kahnle in Sport 1 of the World Collection. “It’s type of simply the matchups primarily based on the man’s pitch profile, see which pitches are simpler to get to from the fitting aspect versus the left aspect,” Edman stated the day after doing so for the primary time in opposition to Estrada. “Normally that’s mirrored within the splits. I feel that man had fairly even splits righty versus lefty.”

As you may see from the desk above, Edman has not solely raked in opposition to lefties, he’s constantly overperformed even relative to a a lot greater high quality of contact than in opposition to righties. His slugging proportion was 53 factors greater than his xSLG throughout his Cardinals tenure, however that elevated to 233 factors throughout this common season, and it’s up by a honkin’ 525 factors throughout this postseason.

Matchup-wise, Edman’s platoon splits have labored out significantly properly for the Dodgers, along with his share of plate appearances in opposition to southpaws rising from 23.5% throughout the common season to 32.7% within the postseason. The Padres didn’t begin any lefties in opposition to the Dodgers within the Division Collection, throughout which Edman hit .235/.235/.235. He did go 2-for-2 singles off lefty relievers Tanner Scott (Sport 2) and Yuki Matsui (Sport 4), although neither was of consequence. His most necessary hit of the collection was the aforementioned bunt single, off righty Dylan Stop within the fourth inning of Sport 1. It sparked a three-run rally that gave the Dodgers a lead they by no means relinquished.

The Mets, against this, began lefties in NLCS Video games 2 (Sean Manaea), 4 (Jose Quintana), 5 (David Peterson) and 6 (Manaea once more), and the Dodgers pounded them for 15 runs (14 earned) in 14 innings. Edman was proper within the thick of it, however he didn’t even have to attend that lengthy to begin producing in opposition to southpaws. In Sport 1, he hit a fourth-inning RBI single off Peterson, the third Mets pitcher after Kodai Senga and Reed Garrett; that was a part of a three-run rally. In Sport 2, he went 3-for-4 with a single off Manaea and two extra off righty relievers Phil Maton (driving in two of the three runners on) and Ryne Stanek (he took second on a stroll, stole third and was stranded). His lone hit in Sport 3 was a single off Garrett; he then scored on Enrique Hernández’s homer.

Up by way of NLCS Sport 3, all 9 of Edman’s postseason hits had been singles, and two of the 5 runs he’d pushed in had been through outs, not counting the GIDP run; he had a sacrifice bunt in NLDS Sport 4, and a sac fly in NLCS Sport 3. Once more from his pre-NLCS Sport 4 media session, he spoke about fine-tuning his swings:

“I’m type of engaged on comparable issues from either side. However my righty swing felt fairly good finish of the yr; lefty swing didn’t really feel excellent. Now my lefty swing is feeling good once more…

“I’ve totally different cues, simply because my prime hand is dominant on the fitting aspect and [my] backside hand dominant on left aspect. You may’t do precisely the identical factor. For me it’s type of simply extra about utilizing just like the bottom of my swing a bit of higher, with the left hand and left again hip.

“And I feel I do a greater job of that naturally right-handed. So it’s type of simply making an attempt to get the swings a bit of bit nearer to one another so that they’re a bit of bit simpler to handle.”

Moved as much as the cleanup spot with Freddie Freeman out of the lineup, Edman began exhibiting extra pop in that recreation, doubling off Quintana to drive in Shohei Ohtani for the go-ahead run (and sending Betts to 3rd) within the second inning, then hitting a two-run double off lefty Danny Younger within the eighth, padding the result in 9-2. After singles in opposition to Peterson and righty nearer Edwin Díaz went for naught out of the fifth spot within the lineup in Sport 5, he moved again to cleanup and, properly, cleaned up. He drove within the Dodgers’ first 4 runs of Sport 6, clubbing a two-run double off Manaea within the first inning to erase a 1-0 Mets lead, then hitting a two-run homer off Manaea within the third. The Dodgers by no means appeared again, and Edman was named the collection MVP for his .407/.393/.630 efficiency, which included 11 hits and 11 RBI, the latter of which tied Corey Seager’s NLCS membership report from 2020.

The four-day layoff between the NLCS and the World Collection didn’t cool Edman’s bat. In Sport 1, he doubled off Gerrit Cole within the sixth inning, his first extra-base hit in opposition to a righty on this postseason. Whereas he ended up stranded at third base in that inning, his Tenth-inning single off righty Jake Cousins — which second baseman Oswaldo Cabrera dove for however didn’t completely cease — made him the potential profitable run, and gave the Dodgers two on and one out. That was the purpose at which Yankees supervisor Aaron Boone took depart of his senses to throw Nestor Cortes into the hearth, and everyone knows what occurred subsequent.

Right here it’s price noting that on the defensive aspect, Edman has typically made every thing look simple at both place in October. He was significantly within the combine for a few large performs at shortstop in Sport 1; each batters reached base however his diving stops restricted the injury. Within the sixth inning, the Yankees had been up 2-1 after Jazz Chisholm Jr. singled and stole second, and one out later, Anthony Banda deliberately walked Anthony Volpe to convey up Austin Wells. The slumping catcher hit a 102.7-mph chopper on which Edman made a spectacular cease whereas ranging to his proper; Wells reached first with a single, however Edman’s throw residence (which was lower off) stored Chisholm from making an attempt to attain, and Alex Verdugo’s strikeout stranded him there.

Within the Tenth, with the rating tied 2-2 and one out, Chisholm singled after which stole each second and third base, forcing the Dodgers to attract the infield in. Blake Treinen walked Anthony Rizzo deliberately to convey up Volpe, who hit a 94.6-mph chopper that Edman stopped close to second base. His momentary fumble prevented an inning-ending 6-4-3 double play, however he recovered in time to get the forceout, although Chisholm scored the go-ahead run. With Treinen putting out Wells, the Dodgers had been capable of hold the margin at one run.

Contemporary off of that recreation, Edman tormented lefty Carlos Rodón in Sport 2, breaking a scoreless tie with a solo homer to guide off the second inning, after which doubling and stealing third after Teoscar Hernández and Freeman hit back-to-back homers within the third.

That provides as much as a .500/.500/1.250 line by way of two video games of the World Collection, and a .365/.358/.577 line for the whole postseason. His 157 wRC+ ranks third on the staff, trailing solely Betts and Max Muncy. If you wish to nitpick, sure, it will be good if he’d draw a stroll, one thing he did solely 7.2% of the time throughout the common season; his 33.7% chase fee is about 11 proportion factors greater than his common season mark, however increasing the zone did yield the homer off Manaea, and his 12.7% strikeout fee is about seven factors under his season mark.

Edman isn’t the one deadline acquisition who has come up large for the Dodgers. Jack Flaherty helped to stabilize a decimated rotation down the stretch and has turned in a pair of stellar begins within the NLCS and World Collection openers, offsetting a few duds. Kopech, who carried a 4.74 ERA with the White Sox, has been lights out for the Dodgers each within the common season and the playoffs. With Betts discovering his stroke, Muncy sporting down pitchers, Freeman out of the blue rejuvenated after resting his injured proper ankle, and Ohtani hopefully good to go after leaving Sport 2 with a left shoulder scare, the Dodgers’ lineup has loads of weapons. At this level, nonetheless, it will hardly be a shock if Tommy Two Hits continues to paved the way.