Cardinals: Tommy Edman’s Value is Greater Than Carlos Correa

Tommy Edman (19) rounds second base during his RBI triple during the fifth inning against the New York Mets at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports
Tommy Edman (19) rounds second base during his RBI triple during the fifth inning against the New York Mets at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports /
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MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN – APRIL 16: Tommy Edman #19 of the St. Louis Cardinals up to bat against the Milwaukee Brewers at American Family Field on April 16, 2022 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. (Photo by John Fisher/Getty Images)
MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN – APRIL 16: Tommy Edman #19 of the St. Louis Cardinals up to bat against the Milwaukee Brewers at American Family Field on April 16, 2022 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. (Photo by John Fisher/Getty Images) /

Tommy Edman is one of the best base runners in baseball

Tommy Edman on the basepaths is dynamic to watch for the Cardinals. Game plans by managers are certainly not made by runners going from first to third, swiping second base, or an infield hit. But my goodness is it not beautiful to watch?

His sprint speed is elite. In 2022, Edman ranked in the 86th percentile in sprint speed. Although he is trending down with his age slowly creeping up, he ranked in the 96th, 95th, and 92nd in the other seasons respectively. Since 2019, his sprint speed allowed him to leg out 15 triples, which ranks 10th, and 48 infield hits, which ranks 14th in all Major League Baseball.

His tormenting speed reached a new level of success in 2022 through swiping bases, too. Among players with 20 stolen bases or more, his 32 steals and only 2 caught stealing was the best ratio. Last year, his relentless speed on the bases created 4.86 runs which was second to only Jon Berti who created 5.13 runs through stealing 41 bases and only getting caught 5 times.

Edman created 0.51 wins above average specifically on stealing bases for the Cardinals a year ago, which evaluates at roughly $4.1 million by my Jaybird Baseball Statistical model. Last season was also backing up a 2021 season where he stole 30 bases and was caught only 5 times.