Tommy Edman thrusts himself into spotlight with dazzling NLCS MVP performance

LOS ANGELES — When the Los Angeles Dodgers acquired Tommy Edman just before the trade deadline in July, the utilityman didn’t know what his role would be with his new team.

He hadn’t played a single game as he recovered from a wrist injury and he joined a crowded roster full of guys trying to find playing time themselves.

Flash forward to Sunday night at Dodger Stadium and he was the one hoisting the National League Championship Series Most Valuable Player Trophy as Los Angeles clinched its spot into the 2024 World Series.

In a series with tons of offense, it was the Southern California kid who consistently shined in the spotlight. Edman hit .407 in the NLCS with 11 hits – at least one in all six games – one home run and 11 RBI, which tied a franchise postseason record.

"Tommy, I think, clearly is the MVP," Shohei Ohtani said through interpreter Will Ireton. "He does things – not just this whole postseason – but during the regular season, contributing in places where it doesn't really reflect on the stat line."

Sure his regular season was limited to just 37 games, but Edman didn’t break out in the less than two months of playing. He hit only .237 and his OBP of .294 was his first season below .300.

But when it came time to the postseason, Edman shook the rust off and showed up not only when it mattered, but when it was needed.

Freddie Freeman continued to deal with an ankle injury that took him out of games and clearly affected him when he was on the field. Teoscar Hernandez, a star of the National League Divisional Series, went the first five games without a hit.

Luckily, Edman made himself a dangerous at-bat. He went from starting the series batting last in the lineup to batting cleanup in the NLCS clincher. Edman scored the first four runs of the game that gave Los Angeles a lead it would never relinquish.

Perhaps the most impressive stat for Edman was after the two-run homer in the third inning, he was 5-for-7 with nine RBI when batting with runners in scoring position in the series. By the end of Game 6 he was 5-for-10 in the series with RISP, still a remarkable feat that will often lead to success.

"I just kept getting up with guys on base and a lot of opportunities to drive runs in," Edman said.

President of baseball operations Andrew Friedman joked he envisioned Edman winning the MVP award when he traded for him, but he applauded him for stepping up in such a high-stakes series.

"There aren't a lot of guys on planet Earth that can do it at such a high level. He's a really good baseball player," Friedman said. "He just had his nose in the middle of everything we had going in the series."

Edman said he didn’t think too much about being thrusted into the spotlight, but going from missing a majority of the regular season and being traded to being the star of the championship series is quite the change.

"It's been a crazy journey. Early in the year, I never would have thought I'd be in this situation today," Edman said.

It’s hard to imagine where the Dodgers would be had they not made the trade for Edman in the summer. Manager Dave Roberts gave credit to Friedman and the front office for pulling the trade off. Even he didn’t expect he would be putting him fourth in the lineup, but now he’s sold on what Edman brings to the club.

"I trust him. The guys trust him. He's made huge defensive plays for us and had huge hits. Just very, very fortunate to have a player like Tommy," Roberts said.

The emergence of Edman will give the New York Yankees another thing to worry about in the World Series. As if there aren’t enough things to consider when facing a team that scored at least eight runs in its NLCS victories, and is averaging more than six runs a game, the highest of any postseason team.

Sure, everyone will be excited to see Ohtani go up against Gerrit Cole and the comparisons to Aaron Judge. Mookie Betts will be going against the team that couldn’t stand seeing him win a World Series when he played for the Boston Red Sox. And that’s not including Freeman, Juan Soto and Giancarlo Stanton.

Yet it’s not a surprise to anyone in Los Angeles to see someone like Edman step up in big-time situations.

"The common theme for this season has been that a lot of people, different guys, have been stepping up," Ohtani said.

Now Edman is a red-hot, switch-hitting guy who can’t be overlooked at the plate. He could continue his excellent play in the World Series. But who knows, it could be another unsung hero that thrusts themselves into stardom for a team proving it’s more than the three MVPs that bat at the top of the lineup.

"You prepare for those big moments. Fortunately, I was able to come through," Edman said.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Tommy Edman: From utilityman to MVP as Dodgers reach World Series