Former Infielder Inspired Marlins’ Xavier Edwards to Produce as Switch-Hitter
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Every ballplayer has someone he wants to emulate. The Miami Marlins second baseman Xavier Edwards certainly has someone that he looked up to and wanted to be like.
Edwards, currently in his fourth MLB season (all with the Marlins), is having a great year at the plate with 19 hits.
Edwards Got Inspired by a Great Switch-Hitter
Good players want to learn from the best. In Edwards case, he doesn’t just want to be good, he wants to be great.
During an interview with MLB Network, Edwards revealed which player had an impact on him and who he tried to model his game after.
“I’d like to say Jimmy Rollins a lot,” Edwards said. “We’re similar. He’s a really great player. I wanted to watch him play a lot growing up.”
Xavier Edwards is tied for the lead in all of baseball with 19 hits! 👏
— MLB Network (@MLBNetwork) April 10, 2026
The @Marlins infielder talks about emulating Jimmy Rollins as a kid and if he thinks anyone will hit .400 in a full season. #MLBTonight pic.twitter.com/iv14SKVIi1
It’s not too often we hear players mention someone like Jimmy Rollins as their big influence. Rollins played most of his MLB career with the Philadelphia Phillies. One of the best switch-hitters of his generation, he won the 2007 NL MVP.
Rollins was a workhorse and had a winning attitude in Philadelphia. Edwards has that same mindset with the Miami group. The difference is that Rollins was more vocal and had a big personality. Edwards seems like the type of player who doesn’t like talking much, but lets his performance do the talking.
Both players love to compete and are part of a team that will fight to the end. Edwards mission is for him and the team to control what they can do on the field. With his performance, there’s a reason why the Marlins have won eight games so far. His chemistry in the infield with Otto Lopez is terrific. That’s a nice tandem in the middle infield.
Although this weekend against the Detroit Tigers hasn’t been pleasant, overall, the Marlins are on the right track offensively and in the bullpen. The team still needs more consistency in the starting rotation outside of Sandy Alcantara.
Edwards is a career .303 hitter, and if he continues to put the ball in play and play well, he could be rewarded by the end of the season with a Silver Slugger. When a team has a player who can produce on both sides of the field, then that’s a player you have to lock in for years.
Edwards might be in a Marlins uniform for years to come if the front office does its part and Edwards can keep it going.
After graduating from City College of New York in 2014, Miguel created his own blog. Since 2021, he has written for FanSided, where he covered the Toronto Blue Jays, College Football and Utah Mammoth hockey team. He also wrote for Miami Heat on SI and Cleveland Sports Talk. Miguel is the creator and host of his podcast, Baseball Heat Podcast with Mike.