Tommy Edman Is Turning Heads in 2025

So far this year, Edman has hit six home runs, which is tied for the second most in MLB.

What makes this all even more impressive is that Edman’s career high in home runs is 13, which came back in 2023. Even if Edman slows down, he is now likely to breeze past this number as the season goes on.

Despite never being known as a power hitter, Edman has a slugging percentage of .529 this season. That number far surpasses the MLB average of .384 and his career average of .412, and it places him among some of the best in the National League.

As a result, Edman has put together an impressive start to the 2025 campaign. His .803 OPS (128 OPS+) has placed him into the upper echelon of hitters to begin the season. 

However, Edman’s expected statistics tell an even more dramatic story.

Edman’s Production Is More Than Just Luck

One might assume that Edman’s power surge has simply been the result of some good fortune. Baseball is somewhat of a game of chance, after all. Plenty of players run into a few home runs from time to time.

For Edman, however, that does not appear to be the case.

Despite his hot start, Edman’s BABIP registers at a measly .189, which is significantly lower than the MLB average of .286. This appears to have contributed to an immense discrepancy between Edman’s expected stats and actual results. 

Edman’s .235 batting average falls short of his career average of .263. However, his expected batting average of .308 (91st percentile) soars above it.

His slugging percentage tells a similar story, with his impressive .529 mark being vastly outdone by his .606 expected value (94th percentile).

Finally, Edman’s wOBA value of .343 is, again, surpassed by his expected wOBA value of .411 (92nd percentile).

From this, it’s fair to assume that Edman has not simply been benefiting from good batted-ball luck. In fact, his results might even be underselling how good he has been to begin the season. 

So, what accounts for this sharp increase in offensive production? Let’s dive a little bit deeper.

Digging Deeper Into Edman’s Strong Start

So far in 2025, Edman has posted impressive numbers across a variety of different underlying metrics.

His average exit velocity (91.6 mph), hard-hit rate (50.8%), and barrel rate (13.6%) all rank in the 76th percentile of MLB or above. He has squared up the ball 38.9% of the time, placing him in the 96th percentile of hitters.

Alongside Edman’s ability to hit the ball hard, he has also made consistent contact on a majority of his swings. Edman has made contact on 92.5% of swings at pitches within the strike zone, and 61.8% on pitches outside of the zone.

While he does not walk often and tends to chase the ball out of the zone, his ability to make contact has mitigated potentially poor results. His whiff rate (16.7%) ranks in the 90th percentile of MLB, and his strikeout rate (13.7%) grades out similarly.

The Right Approach

Edman has also made some slight tweaks to his approach at the plate this season. While he has traditionally been a ground-ball hitter, Edman has hit fly balls 35.6% of the time this season and has a career-low groundball rate of 37.3%.

Additionally, he is pulling the ball and making hard contact more often. With Edman hitting the ball in the air so often, it has led to a significantly higher home-run rate on fly balls (21.4%).

He has also been aggressive at the plate, seeing just 3.29 pitches per plate appearances on average. This rate is among the lowest in the league, and it has allowed him to strike early in at-bats.

This approach has worked well for Edman, as 71.1% of the pitches he has seen have been strikes. With the protection around him in the lineup, pitchers have likely felt added pressured to attack the zone against him.

Is Tommy Tanks Here To Stay?

Baseball is a game of adjustments. Players alternate between hot and cold stretches often, either from on the mound or in the batter’s box.

Over the course of a 162-game season, variance is not only common, but expected. Therefore, it can be assumed that pitchers will likely alter their approach to facing Edman as the season goes on.

Little can be said as to whether Edman will continue this blazing pace through the rest of the year. However, the significance of Edman’s current offensive showcase cannot be overstated — small sample size or not.

While some regression is to be expected, Edman certainly seems to have taken a step forward this year. Keeping his defensive prowess in mind, this level of offensive production makes Edman a legitimate threat on both sides of the ball.

In the Dodgers’ already potent lineup, Edman stands to make a significant impact as the Dodgers seek to repeat their postseason success in 2025.

Whether or not Edman continues to build on his tremendous start is yet to be seen, but he has certainly been an exciting player to follow thus far in 2025.