Marlins' Xavier Edwards has ties to Long Island that run deep
Marlins shortstop Xavier Edwards rounds first base against the Mets on Saturday at Citi Field. Credit: Ed Murray
Batting first for the visiting Marlins against the Mets: No. 9, the second baseman, Xavier Edwards.
A glance at the Citi Field big screen shows that the switch-hitting Edwards is from Mineola. Though the 26-year-old moved to Florida at a young age, the local ties run deep.
“Born in Mineola Hospital, lived here until I was 5,” Edwards told Newsday before Saturday afternoon’s game. “Bounced around a few houses on Long Island but moved to South Florida when I was about 5 years old. I have an older sister who played tennis at the time, so it was important for her to get into warm weather, and they knew that eventually I’d play something that would require warm weather, too, so we could play year-round.
“Moving when I was 5 from here, but I still got a bunch of family. My dad’s from Syracuse, so upstate. His mom and one of his siblings is up there. He’s still in Syracuse. So I got some family in Syracuse. On my mom’s side, her brother and sister and my grandma are all here on Long Island still [in Rockville Centre]. They’re actually coming to the game today, so we’ve still got a bunch of roots here in New York.”
The career .299 hitter is in his third MLB season, all with Miami. He is entrenched in the leadoff spot, batting first in all 118 of his starts this season — 76 at second base, 41 at shortstop and one at designated hitter.
He owns a .284/.341/.357 slash line with 139 hits (27 for extra bases), two homers, 42 walks, 24 stolen bases, 34 RBIs and 68 runs scored.
He rarely swings and misses and has an 11.7% whiff percentage, ranking in the 98th percentile in MLB.
For Edwards, who went 1-for-5 with a run scored on Saturday in the Marlins’ 11-8 win, the opportunity to play in front of his family is not one he takes for granted.
“I don’t get to see them a whole bunch,” he said. “I saw them actually over the All-Star break. They came down to Florida, so that was always great. But they don’t get to see me play often. My grandma’s pretty old, so her flying and stuff, it’s not the easiest for her to travel around.
“So it’s great to have an opportunity for them to hop in the car or hop on the Long Island Rail Road to come see me play.”
Edwards also lived in Freeport and Rockville Centre before moving to Florida. He played tennis growing up, which he noted “probably” led to his switch hitting. He was hoping to attend the U.S. Open on Saturday night.
But on the diamond, he learned from his dad, Jovon Edwards, a six-year minor-leaguer who was in the Mets’ system from 1988-89.
“Probably the best coach I could have, that I could ask for,” he said. “I still hit with him in the offseason now, and we bounce a lot of ideas off each other. So it’s a give-and-take. But yeah, it’s a great tool that I’ve been able to utilize throughout this point in my career, and I’m forever grateful.”
Did that lead to a childhood of Mets fandom?
“House divided,” he said. “Me and my pops are Yankees fans because the Mets released him, and my mom and my sister are Mets fans.”
He added that he was a big Derek Jeter fan, saying: “Every kid that grew up in New York was at some point, and you’re probably lying if you weren’t.”
Edwards, who attended North Broward Preparatory School in Coconut Creek, Florida, was selected by the Padres with the 38th pick of the 2018 MLB Draft. He was traded to the Rays in December 2019, then traded to Miami in November 2022. He was the No. 72 prospect in baseball in 2020 and the No. 84 prospect in 2021, according to MLB.com.
He may be a franchise cornerstone in Miami.
“Just trying to play my game and stick to who I am,” Edwards said. “The staff and the team has embraced me.”
Alvarez update
Mets catcher Francisco Alvarez, who suffered a sprained UCL in his right thumb on Aug. 17 and a broken left pinkie on Wednesday, was the designated hitter for Triple-A Syracuse on Saturday night. He took batting practice off the high-velocity machine Friday and caught a bullpen session, coming out of both fine.
Manager Carlos Mendoza said there is no timeline for his return to the Mets. He said: “See how he gets through it, and maybe he’s catching [for Syracuse] tomorrow.”
Ben Dickson is Newsday Sports' general assignment reporter. He joined Newsday’s high school sports staff in 2023 after graduating from Maryland, where he covered several of the Terrapins' teams.
