Xavier Edwards
Xavier James Edwards (born August 9, 1999) is an American professional baseball shortstop in the Tampa Bay Rays organization. Amateur career. Edwards graduated from North Broward Preparatory School in Coconut Creek, Florida. As a senior, he batted .406 with 16 runs batted in, 24 stolen bases, and a .532 on-base percentage for the school's baseball team. He committed to play college baseball at Vanderbilt University. Professional career. San Diego Padres. The San Diego Padres selected Edwards with the 38th overall selection in the 2018 Major League Baseball (MLB) draft and signed for $2.6 million. He  made his professional debut with the AZL Padres and was promoted to the Tri-City Dust Devils in August. In 45 total games between the two teams, Edwards slashed .346/.453/.409 with 16 RBIs and 22 stolen bases. In 2019, he began with the Fort Wayne TinCaps, earning Midwest League All-Star honors. After slashing .336/.392/.414 with one home run, 30 RBIs, and 20 stolen bases over 77 games, he was promoted to the Lake Elsinore Storm in July. During 46 games with Lake Elsinore, he hit .301/.349/.367 with 14 stolen bases. After the season, on October 10, 2019, he was  selected for the United States national baseball team in the 2019 WBSC Premier 12. Tampa Bay Rays. On December 6, 2019, Edwards, Hunter Renfroe, and a player to be named later were traded to the Tampa Bay Rays in exchange for Tommy Pham and Jake Cronenworth. Edwards did not play a minor league game in 2020 due to the cancellation of the season. In 2021, he played for the Montgomery Biscuits, slashing .302/.377/.368 with 27 RBIs and 19 stolen bases over 79 games.