Reliving 2014
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Michael Falcone
February 10, 2022 Director of Baseball Operations
401-845-6832/ operations@newportgulls.com
Reliving 2014
Tommy Edman- Gulls Flashy Infielder
Published By: Ryan Greaney
NEWPORT, RI- Infielder Tommy Edman (Stanford) was not always the starting second baseman for the St. Louis Cardinals. At 5’10’ 180 pounds he is not the biggest player in the league, but has combined quick feet, speed and defensive smarts to become one of the league's top fielding players. Prior to becoming an everyday MLB player, Edman was an instrumental player for the Gulls 2014 Championship team.
Edman grew up in San Diego, CA playing his high school ball at La Jolla Country Day School. Graduating in 2013, he earned All Academic First Team his senior year before committing to Stanford University. Coming out of high school Edman was primarily a shortstop and was among Perfect Game USA’s Top 500 nationally ranked prospects.
In 2014, Edman took his talents north of La Jolla to play for the Stanford Cardinals where he proved not only his defensive prowess, but his hitting capabilities as well. In his freshman year, he played in 58 games where he had almost a hit per game (50), slashing eight doubles and 18 RBI’s.
Following his freshman year, Edman made the cross country trek to play for the Newport Gulls where he took his game to the next level. A defensive wizard for the Gulls, Edman earned 2014 NECBL Defensive Player of the Year, 2014 NECBL All First Team and 2014 NECBL All Star honors. Once again, his strong fielding was paired with success at the plate, hitting .319 with 43 hits in 32 games, belting four homers, 16 RBI’s, and stealing 10 bases- an all around impressive season and helped the Gulls capture their sixth NECBL title.
As a college sophomore in 2015, Edman was the only Cardinal to start every game and earned 2015 Academic All-Pac-12 First Team Honors. In 2016 he led the team in runs (35), hits (61), triples (4) and stolen bases (8), on the way to a First Team All-Pac-12 selection. In his final 2 years at Stanford Edman hit a combined .291 with 53 RBI’s 23 doubles, 5 triples and 12 stolen bases.
After 3 strong college seasons on the field and in the classroom, Edman was selected by the St. Louis Cardinals in the 6th round of the 2016 MLB Draft and made his professional debut the following season in Single A. In his 3 minor league seasons Edman hit .286 with 23 home runs 158 RBI’s and a staggering 71 stolen bases.
In 2018, Tommy Edman’s hard work and dedication to the game finally paid off. On June 8, 2019 Edman’s contract was selected by the St. Louis Cardinals and he made his MLB Debut that night as a pinch runner at Wrigley Field in Chicago against the Cubs. Not too long after he hit his first homerun on June 20th against the Marlins. Edman remained on the Cardinals roster for the rest of the year as a rotational player appearing in 92 games.
Over the next two years Edman proved his abilities to be an everyday starter, with his best season coming in 2021. Last year, appearing in 159 games, he hit .262 with 41 doubles, 11 homers, 56 RBI’s and 30 stolen bases. Although he played games at second base, shortstop, and right field, it was just one of these positions that landed him in elite territory. With seven defensive runs saved, Edman earned a NL Gold Glove award at second base, a prestigious fielding honor. Edman has solidified himself as an every day player for the Cardinals and will be a valued asset to their team going forward.
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The Newport Gulls, members of the 13-team New England Collegiate Baseball League (NECBL), are a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, founded as the Rhode Island Gulls in 1998 in Cranston, R.I., before moving to Newport in 2001. In addition to recruiting, fielding, and developing a team of the nation’s top collegiate baseball athletes and attracting 50,000 fans annually to Cardines Field, the predominantly volunteer organization strives to benefit the community of Newport County via summer camps, reading programs, fundraisers, scholarships, and charitable donations – totaling over $1 million since 2001. The Gulls are six-time champions of the NECBL – the winningest franchise in league history – and were ranked as the overall No. 1 summer collegiate baseball team in the country by Perfect Game USA in 2012.
For more information about the Newport Gulls, visit facebook.com/newportgulls, follow the Gulls on Twitter @NewportGulls or visit www.newportgulls.com.
