Angels Sign Former Rays, Marlins First Baseman and Outfielder

The Angels reached into the independent leagues to find the newest member of the organization.

First baseman/outfielder Evan Edwards, a former fourth-round draft pick who's spent time with the Miami Marlins and Tampa Bay Rays organizations, officially signed with the Angels on Tuesday.

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Edwards, 27, began the season with the High Point Rockers of the Atlantic League. The former North Carolina State slugger led the independent league with 13 home runs, 43 RBIs and a .375 batting average.

1B Evan Edwards, @AtlanticLg leader in batting average, HR and RBI, is acquired by the @Angels. Made his mark at @NCStateBaseball and @SGHSBaseball and will succeed at next level!https://t.co/bxvOgV6qS9 pic.twitter.com/EwhGmFp6Wt
— High Point Rockers (@RockersBaseball) May 30, 2025

Edwards was riding a 15-game hitting streak at the time his signing was announced by the Rockers last Friday.

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Released from his minor league contract with the Rays in March 2024, Edwards signed with High Point for the duration of last season. In his first Atlantic League season, Edwards hit .272 with 22 home runs and 70 RBIs for the North Carolina-based team.

Edwards was a senior in college when the Miami Marlins made him their fourth-round pick in the 2019 MLB Draft. He topped out at the Marlins' Class-A affiliate in 2019, lost the 2020 minor league season to the COVID-19 pandemic, and was traded to the Tampa Bay Rays in February 2021 in the deal that sent former Angels pitcher John Curtiss to Miami.

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In three seasons with the Rays organization, Edwards shot up the minor-league ladder. He spent the duration of the 2021 season with advanced Class-A Bowling Green. He slashed .226/.346/.464 in 94 games, hitting a team-leading 22 home runs.

In 2022, Edwards was promoted to Double-A and slashed .220/.349/.425 for the Montgomery Biscuits. He also got into six games with the Rays' Rookie-league affiliate in the Florida Complex League and went 8 for 19 with a pair of home runs.

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The 2023 season saw Edwards make improvements across the board at the plate with Montgomery. His batting average (.249), on-base percentage (.350) and slugging percentage (.472) all progressed.

That performance earned Edwards his first promotion to Triple-A. In 11 games with the Durham Bulls, Edwards hit one home run, drove in five, and drew an impressive eight walks to 12 strikeouts.

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Edwards also got 15 plate appearances in Grapefruit League action with Tampa Bay from 2022-23. He went 2 for 13 (.154) with two walks.

The Angels assigned Edwards to Double-A Rocket City. In his first game with the Trash Pandas on Wednesday, Edwards went 0 for 4 with a strikeout.

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