Carl Edwards says he believes it’s possible the best is yet to come.
Edwards, a non-roster invitee in Braves camp, once was an electric-but-erratic reliever for the contending Cubs. He piled up strikeouts and walks while proving generally effective. Edwards had a 3.03 ERA and struck out 12.4 batters per nine innings from 2016-18, his best seasons.
Injuries have since disrupted his career. He appeared in 22 games in 2019, including only two for the Padres, who acquired him at the trade deadline. He pitched in five contests last season for the Mariners before a forearm injury shut him down.
He arrived at Braves camp healthy and confident. This is his chance to start anew.
“A lot of stuff is starting to move my way,” Edwards said. “I’m starting to feel comfortable, just being around the guys. That’s the main thing that’s helping me out a lot. Just being around those guys, and the pitching coach and bullpen coach are just telling me to go out there and be myself. So I feel really good about where I’m at right now.”
Edwards said he’s felt good since around October. After living through fear of further injury, he thinks he’s finally back to feeling normal on the mound again.
“I think it got so mental that I was just so nervous about getting hurt, that everything kept coming back and forth,” Edwards said. “I realized myself and told myself, ‘Hey, if I want to be who I am, who I was or whatever you want to call it, then I have to go out there and play free and have fun.
“They say if you don’t go through nothing, you don’t really accept anything. I feel like I’ve been through, what I thought was – it felt like 10 years of injuries, but it was really a year. That’s where I was mentally. But now I’m healthy, and I feel confident. I’m able to relax out there and be myself, tell myself I’m just going to let it go.”
There’s no doubt that when he’s at his best, Edwards, 29, is a tantalizing talent. He complements his mid-90s fastball with a curveball that helps him rack up strikeouts. He’s also used a change-up and sinker in the past.
Edwards has looked the part most of spring. He has a 1.23 ERA in seven appearances (allowing only one run, a homer). He’s struck out six and walked five in 7-1/3 innings. The command hasn’t always been there – he walked three hitters in a March 10 outing – but it hasn’t been difficult to see the talent.
Credit: Curtis Compton / Curtis.Compton@
Credit: Curtis Compton / Curtis.Compton@
“He’s throwing the ball better as we’re getting him out there,” manager Brian Snitker said. “The stuff has picked up, I think. He’s getting the ball over the plate better. His velocity is increasing since he first started. He’s settling in now. He’s one of those guys we’re evaluating.”
How Edwards fares over the final week could determine his fate. He still faces an uphill climb to make the opening-day bullpen. The competition is steep and includes a bevy of players with whom the Braves are more familiar.
Edwards still offers more upside than most, if not all of the Braves’ other internal options. He’s achieved heights most of his competition hasn’t. He’s also been an important reliever on multiple playoff teams, which carries some weight. He was part of the Cubs in 2015 when they reached the National League Championship Series and in 2016 when they (finally) won the World Series. He sees some parallels with those Cubs and these Braves, who are trying to follow the same blueprint and go from NL runner-ups to World Series champs.
At some point, maybe Edwards gets his chance to help another contender. When he gets that opportunity, he expects to take it and run. He thinks he can not only rediscover himself but be better than he was during the Cubs’ glory years.
“I think I can be better than that guy, honestly, is where I’m at right now,” Edwards said. If that’s the case, the Braves stand to benefit.
