Dave Roberts Makes Hilarious Admission About Dodgers Newest Star

Valentina Martinez | Apr 12, 2025

Mar 23, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts (30) before the game against the Los Angeles Angels at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

When the Los Angeles Dodgers acquired utiltiy man Tommy Edman via a three-team trade with the St. Louis Cardinals and Chicago White Sox, it had been years of work by the L.A. front office that finally came to fruition.

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The arrival of Edman last summer signaled the Dodgers would have another versatile player to move around the field as needed. But no could have predicted Edman would emerge as one of the Dodgers' biggest stars — even manager Dave Roberts didn't see that coming.

“Not to discredit him,” Roberts said to The Orange County Register's Bill Plunkett, “but he’s better than I thought he was.”

Edman, who stands at 5-foot-9 and weighs 193 pounds, is currently one of the league's best power hitters with six home runs. The Dodgers have only played 15 games this season.

The utility man made one major adjustment in order to help get more power.

“When I’m taller,” Edman said, “I can have more of a direct path to the pitcher and also with more power behind it as well.”

In St. Louis, the switch-hitter recorded a total of 53 home runs in five seasons with the Cardinals, with his career-high in a season being 13. Edman is on pace to surpass that number in his first full season with the Dodgers.

The 29-year-old will don the Dodger blue for the next five years after signing a $74 million contract extension this offseason.

Edman's legacy with L.A. already includes an NLCS MVP award and a World Series title, but his surprising power at the plate may propel the star switch-hitter further than anyone could have imagined.

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