CLEVELAND — Relief pitcher Jon Edwards found himself out of baseball for two years after undergoing Tommy John surgery and was subsequently released by the San Diego Padres prior to the start of the 2017 season.
But Edwards had a belief in himself, which led him to sign with the Cleveland Indians late last spring, and after appearing in 34 games over stops with the Akron RubberDucks and Columbus Clippers, he was promoted to the big-league club for the stretch run of the 2018 regular season.
“There were times where I felt it would be easier to walk away and do something different and just be a dad and a husband,” Edwards recalled, “but I remember watching games with my son and thinking, ‘I know all these guys on the field, and I know I can play with them,’ so I felt like my time wasn’t done yet and I needed to be out there.
“I continued to believe throughout the process. If I didn’t have that, I don’t know that I would’ve made it through it.”
After missing two seasons (2016 and 2017) recovering from Tommy John ligament replacement surgery on his right elbow, the 31-year old right-hander registered 56 strikeouts against 15 walks allowed while limiting opposing hitters to a .197 average ahead of the call up.
Over 8.2 innings of work in nine appearances for the Indians last season, Edwards registered a 3.12 earned run average and 10 strikeouts while limiting opposing hitters to a .182 batting average.
“Obviously, that kind of set the tone coming into this year, and I was able to show what I could do a little bit,” Edwards said. “I felt eager to do that just because my time in the Major Leagues before, I didn’t really feel like I showed who I was and what I could do at the Major League level yet.
“To get the opportunity to do that, and then, I think being in an organization where you have guys that are around you, from day one in the clubhouse, I felt I was part of the team. I felt like part of the home, part of the family, so I think that was a huge part of it, also.”
After watching Edwards go through the 2018 season, and subsequently, spring training this year, Indians manager Terry Francona is expecting the reliever to reach another level of success as the team goes in search of its fourth consecutive American League Central Division title.
“I think Jon Edwards, from where he’s been, the way he works, the way he acts, the way he conducts himself, I’ll be surprised if he doesn’t do pretty well,” Francona said.
And much like Francona is expecting good things from Edwards, the reliever is confident in the team’s ability to challenge for a spot in the playoffs and make a long October run.
“I’ve heard Tito talk about guys who will play themselves into certain roles on the team and stuff like that, and I think it’s exciting to see guys jell and mesh,” Edwards said. “I think as we come together, we’ll find ourselves in a good spot at the end of the year.”
