‘Clearly, the moment does not bother him’: NLCS MVP Tommy Edman has been everything the Dodgers wanted — and more
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Alden Gonzalez, ESPN Staff Writer
LOS ANGELES — The Los Angeles Dodgers had spent three years coveting Tommy Edman, which, when you think about it, makes a lot of sense. Perhaps no franchise places a greater emphasis on versatility, and perhaps no player encapsulates it better. Edman plays superior defense at two premium positions, hits from both sides of the plate, possesses the ability to move runners over and drive them in. When the Dodgers finally landed Edman over the summer, they were hazy on a role but envisioned someone who would help them in a multitude of ways.
What they didn’t foresee was what ultimately transpired — that Edman would accumulate 11 RBIs in a single postseason round, serve as the cleanup hitter in a pennant-clinching game and become MVP of the National League Championship Series.
“It’s a crazy trajectory,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said after Sunday’s 10-5 victory over the New York Mets in Game 6. “I can’t say enough about the front office being able to acquire him at the deadline. What he can do for us on the field, in the clubhouse — it’s just amazing.”
Edman’s season didn’t begin until Aug. 19, 21 days after the Dodgers acquired him in a three-team trade with the St. Louis Cardinals and the Chicago White Sox that also landed them hard-throwing reliever Michael Kopech.
His right wrist was slow to heal from offseason surgery, pushing his return back by a couple of months. He was finally ready to venture out on a rehab assignment by late June, but then he sprained an ankle during a workout. When the Dodgers engaged St. Louis on Edman in late July, they evaluated his 2024 season on the basis of one medical report and the small handful of scouts who descended upon Springfield, Massachusetts, to watch him play in four rehab games.
It was enough to finalize a trade. Their vision for him crystallized three months later.
“You see how he fits all over the diamond, the compliment to our team with the speed, you can tell the baseball instincts,” Dodgers general manager Brandon Gomes said. “And clearly, the moment does not bother him.”
Edman, 29, batted .407 in the NLCS, becoming the third player ever with 11-plus hits and 11-plus RBIs in a single postseason series, alongside Bobby Richardson in the 1960 World Series and David Ortiz in the 2004 American League Championship Series. When Miguel Rojas’ adductor tear prevented him from cracking the NLCS roster, Edman moved from center field to shortstop, creating a pathway for Enrique Hernández, notoriously good in October, to continue getting at-bats. And when Freddie Freeman‘s sprained right ankle prevented him from starting Game 6, Edman provided all the early production the Dodgers needed, poking a two-run double down the left-field line in the bottom of the first and launching a two-run homer to left-center field in the bottom of the third.
The only other Dodger to amass 11 RBIs in a single postseason series is Corey Seager in 2020.
“It’s pretty crazy, especially with the history of the organization, to have tied that record,” Edman said. “A huge part of that is a testament to the guys on the team. We had really good at-bats throughout the series. Our whole lineup was really good. Any number of guys could have won MVP.”
One of those candidates disagreed.
“Tommy, I think, clearly is the MVP,” Shohei Ohtani, speaking through an interpreter, said after an NLCS that saw him reach base safely 17 times. “He does things, not just this postseason but during the regular season, contributing in places where it doesn’t really reflect on the stat line. But I think the common theme for this season has been a lot of people, different guys, have been stepping up.”
The Cardinals established themselves as one of the sport’s pre-eminent franchises through a player-development system that continually turned lesser-regarded prospects into legitimate major league contributors. Edman, a sixth-round pick out of Stanford in 2016, was among the latest. He became a regular in 2020, won a Gold Glove at second base in 2021 and accumulated 5.3 FanGraphs wins above replacement in 2022, during which he provided a .725 OPS, accumulated 48 extra-base hits, stole 32 bases and excelled at three up-the-middle positions — second base, shortstop and center field.
For as much as the Dodgers asked, the Cardinals were hardly ever open to dealing Edman. A trade never got close. That finally changed midway through 2024, when a glut of position players and a desire for starting pitching made him a trade candidate. An early permutation had the Cardinals sending Edman to the White Sox for right-hander Erick Fedde. Then the Dodgers jumped in. The White Sox, in rebuild mode while navigating through a historically bad season, had no use for Edman, who was only a year and a half away from free agency. Instead, the Dodgers sent them a package of infield prospects headlined by Miguel Vargas. The Cardinals got Fedde and veteran outfielder Tommy Pham. The Dodgers received Edman and Kopech, who solidified the ninth inning down the stretch and opened Game 6 of the NLCS.
Said Gomes: “I don’t know where we’d be without those guys.
Edman, though, was an investment. It wasn’t until the third week of August that he was healthy enough to play in major league games. And it wasn’t until the second week of September, during a home series in which Edman homered four times against the Chicago Cubs, that his swing actually felt right for the first time. Edman’s numbers slid thereafter, his slash line sitting at just .153/.261/.305 over his past 69 regular-season plate appearances — but then he started to put his imprint all over October.
He did it by moving runners over with bunts and getting them in with homers. By mashing against lefties but also holding his own against righties. By locking down center field but also taking on shortstop.
Now, heading into a highly anticipated World Series matchup against the New York Yankees, he might be peaking at the right time.
“For me, relative to everybody else, I’m pretty much in June right now,” Edman said. “I’ve played like three months of baseball. Everybody else has played like seven months. I don’t want to say it’s an advantage, but I think having that time off, I feel a little bit more fresh.”
It’s 2025 MLB All-Star Home Run Derby day in Atlanta!
Some of the most dynamic home run hitters in baseball will be taking aim at the Truist Park stands on Monday (8 p.m. ET on ESPN) in one of the most anticipated events of the summer.
While the prospect of a back-to-back champion is out of the picture — 2024 winner Teoscar Hernandez is not a part of this year’s field — a number of exciting stars will be taking the field, including Atlanta’s own Matt Olson, who replaced Ronald Acuna Jr. just three days before the event. Will Olson make a run in front of his home crowd? Will Cal Raleigh show off the power that led to 38 home runs in the first half? Or will one of the younger participants take the title?
We have your one-stop shop for everything Derby related, from predictions to live updates once we get underway to analysis and takeaways at the night’s end.
MLB Home Run Derby field
Cal Raleigh, Seattle Mariners (38 home runs in 2025)
James Wood, Washington Nationals (24)
Junior Caminero, Tampa Bay Rays (23)
Byron Buxton, Minnesota Twins (21)
Brent Rooker, Athletics (20)
Matt Olson, Atlanta Braves (17)
Jazz Chisholm Jr., New York Yankees (17)
Oneil Cruz, Pittsburgh Pirates (16)
Live updates
Who is going to win the Derby and who will be the runner-up?
Jeff Passan: Raleigh. His swing is perfect for the Derby: He leads MLB this season in both pull percentage and fly ball percentage, so it’s not as if he needs to recalibrate it to succeed. He has also become a prolific hitter from the right side this season — 16 home runs in 102 at-bats — and his ability to switch between right- and left-handed pitching offers a potential advantage. No switch-hitter (or catcher for that matter) has won a Home Run Derby. The Big Dumper is primed to be the first, beating Buxton in the finals.
Alden Gonzalez: Cruz. He might be wildly inconsistent at this point in his career, but he is perfect for the Derby — young enough to possess the stamina required for a taxing event that could become exhausting in the Atlanta heat; left-handed, in a ballpark where the ball carries out better to right field; and, most importantly, capable of hitting balls at incomprehensible velocities. Raleigh will put on a good show from both sides of the plate but will come in second.
Buster Olney: Olson. He is effectively pinch-hitting for Acuna, and because he received word in the past 72 hours of his participation, he hasn’t had the practice rounds that the other competitors have been going through. But he’s the only person in this group who has done the Derby before, which means he has experienced the accelerated pace, adrenaline and push of the crowd.
His pitcher, Eddie Perez, knows something about performing in a full stadium in Atlanta. And, as Olson acknowledged in a conversation Sunday, the park generally favors left-handed hitters because of the larger distances that right-handed hitters must cover in left field.
Jesse Rogers: Olson. Home-field advantage will mean something this year as hitting in 90-plus degree heat and humidity will be an extra challenge in Atlanta. Olson understands that and can pace himself accordingly. Plus, he was a late addition. He has got nothing to lose. He’ll outlast the young bucks in the field. And I’m not putting Raleigh any lower than second — his first half screams that he’ll be in the finals against Olson.
Jorge Castillo: Wood. His mammoth power isn’t disputed — he can jack baseballs to all fields. But the slight defect in his power package is that he doesn’t hit the ball in the air nearly as often as a typical slugger. Wood ranks 126th out of 155 qualified hitters across the majors in fly ball percentage. And he still has swatted 24 home runs this season. So, in an event where he’s going to do everything he can to lift baseballs, hitting fly balls won’t be an issue, and Wood is going to show off that gigantic power en route to a victory over Cruz in the finals.
Who will hit the longest home run of the night — and how far?
Passan: Cruz hits the ball harder than anyone in baseball history. He’s the choice here, at 493 feet.
Gonzalez: If you exclude the Coors Field version, there have been just six Statcast-era Derby home runs that have traveled 497-plus feet. They were compiled by two men: Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton. James Wood — all 6-foot-7, 234 pounds of him — will become the third.
Olney: James Wood has the easy Stanton- and Judge-type power, and he will clear the Chophouse with the longest homer. Let’s say 497 feet.
Rogers: Hopefully he doesn’t injure himself doing it, but Buxton will break out his massive strength and crush a ball at least 505 feet. I don’t see him advancing far in the event, but for one swing, he’ll own the night.
Castillo: Cruz hits baseballs hard and far. He’ll crush a few bombs, and one will reach an even 500 feet.
Who is the one slugger fans will know much better after the Derby?
Passan: Buxton capped his first half with a cycle on Saturday, and he’ll carry that into the Derby, where he will remind the world why he was baseball’s No. 1 prospect in 2015. Buxton’s talent has never been in question, just his health. And with his body feeling right, he has the opportunity to put on a show fans won’t soon forget.
Olney: Caminero isn’t a big name and wasn’t a high-end prospect like Wood was earlier in his career. Just 3½ years ago, Caminero was dealt to the Rays by the Cleveland Guardians in a relatively minor November trade for pitcher Tobias Myers. But since then, he has refined his ability to cover inside pitches and is blossoming this year into a player with ridiculous power. He won’t win the Derby, but he’ll open some eyes.
What’s the one moment we’ll all be talking about long after this Derby ends?
Gonzalez: The incredible distances and velocities that will be reached, particularly by Wood, Cruz, Caminero, Raleigh and Buxton. The hot, humid weather at Truist Park will only aid the mind-blowing power that will be on display Monday night.
Rogers: The exhaustion on the hitter’s faces, swinging for home run after home run in the heat and humidity of Hot-lanta!
Castillo: Cruz’s 500-foot blast and a bunch of other lasers he hits in the first two rounds before running out of gas in the finals.
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