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

St. Louis Cardinals Tommy Edman is an under-the-radar five tool player and proved to be more valuable in 2022 than Carlos Correa.

St. Louis Cardinals utility man Tommy Edman played a major role with the team the past couple seasons. His value is sometimes tough to calculate because he does so many different things for the team. He is not your prototypical five tool player because he does not possess the elite arm strength or power bat like a Mike Trout, however his skills are very useful in all five facets of the game and because he can do so many things his value accumulates well.

Tommy Edman has three areas that provide a unique set of skills that add up to most of his value. The first of those areas is his defense. Sure, he has a Gold Glove in his trophy room at home, but I feel he still does not get his full recognition. His versatility to morph to any unique set of lineup card creates flexibility that is unmatched to almost any other player in the game. His second area of speed helps him defensively but can make opposing pitchers fearful while he is on the basepaths. Lastly, his hitting, although much more of a use of bat to ball skills, creates runs in a variety of manners. Tommy Triples, that is right!

In the final portion of this article, I will dive into the actual monetary value of his skills and provide a deeper understanding of the true bargain that the Cardinals have in Tommy Edman. Even though applying any sort of value to a player is tough and somewhat relative to team needs, I will attempt to find a final total value the Cardinals receive for his services. By the end of this, I will show you that Tommy Edman is worth more than Carlos Correa.

Tommy Edman’s elite defense

Tommy Edman won a Gold Glove in 2021 for the Cardinals. Now, we all know that this award is incredibly subjective and even the statistics I am about to share is not an exact science. However, what the collective argument suggests for him is that he is above average and, in some areas, even elite. But I still feel that he is overlooked!

Since 2019, when Edman became a mainstay in the lineup, he created invaluable flexibility for Manager’s Mike Shildt and currently Oli Marmol. That first season, he appeared at second base, third base, and each of the outfield spots in 92 appearances. His diverse use continued through 2022 as well. In his last three seasons he appeared 227 times at second base, 39 times at third base, 97 games at shortstop, 8 games in left field, 1 game in center field, and 56 games in right field.

His wizardly ability to be productive in each of those positions is even more astonishing. Any manager can put a name on a lineup card and place a muffin-style player out in the field. Edman’s worst Outs Above Average was -1 at second base in 2020. Every other season and position breakdown was at least an even 0 or greater. Thus meaning, he was at minimum Major League Average at each of those positions. See below his Runs Prevented Above Average according to Fangraphs.

2B – 17 RAA

SS- 12 RAA

3B – 10 RAA

LF – 0 RAA

CF – 0 RAA

RF – 3 RAA

In 2022 specifically, based on my Jaybird Baseball Statistical model I estimate that he was 1.79 wins above replacement player based solely on his fielding metrics. That evaluation is worth roughly $9.66 million last season. Note that is specifically based on his fielding.

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.

Value wise, Tommy Edman is a steal compared to Carlos Correa

In total evaluation looking at the Cardinals utility-man Tommy Edman’s entire skillset and results, he was worth 2.97 wins above replacement players and according to my Jaybird Baseball Statistical model. That equates to $16.03 million in value. His ROI was an astounding $15.31 million considering he was only paid $722,900 salary. Not too shabby.

I think perspective is even better on this by reviewing how he compares to Carlos Correa who many consider an elite baseball player.

Correa has been a mainstay in the league since he came up. Currently he is seeking a mega contract for his services, but is he better than Tommy Edman? Offensively his value was 1.87 wins above replacement while Edman’s offensive value was 1.18 wins above replacement according to my Jaybird Baseball Statistical model. That includes all offense hitting and baserunning.

Peeking at some of the numbers further, Edman had the same number of singles with 105, outpaced Correa in doubles 31 to 24, outpaced Correa in triples 4 to 1, hit a respectable 13 homeruns compared to Correa’s 22, and the real kicker is that Edman stole 32 bags while only being caught 2 times. Correa did not swipe a bag at all and was caught 1 time. 105 of those singles or other possible walks increased their value by his ability to get to the next base up. That value is subtle, but it adds up for a guy like Edman.

Fielding wise Correa was below average costing the Twins 0.21 wins last season compared to Edman adding 1.52 wins above average. Edman took the field for 1,270 and 2/3 innings at 5 different positions while only having 6 errors, 7 defensive runs saved, and 11 outs above average. Correa played only shortstop for 1,113 and 1/3 innings having 8 errors, 3 defensive runs saved, and -3 outs above average.

Correa’s total evaluation based on by statistics was $10.04 million. Considerably less than Edman’s $16.03 million. That is right, Tommy Edman was worth more than Carlos Correa in 2022. No one will argue that Correa’s skill set probably evaluates with a higher ceiling, but at least a season ago Edman was more valuable. We do not give Tommy Edman enough praise. He is a fantastic all-around baseball player, and he deserves our respect.