Carl Edwards

Carl Edwards

31-Year-Old PitcherRP
Washington Nationals
2023 Fantasy Outlook
Injuries have been a constant throughout Edwards' career, but he was finally able to stay healthy in 2022. The 31-year-old signed a minor-league contract with the Nationals last spring and was recalled in early May. Edwards put up a 2.76 ERA (4.24 FIP) and 1.23 WHIP across 62 innings (his most since 2017). The right-hander earned six wins, 13 holds and two saves as one of Washington's more trusted relievers. He boasted a 47.7% groundball rate, but both his strikeout (21.9%) and walk (9.8%) rates were below average and his 3.31 xERA suggests a more likely ratio outcome. There's not much in Edwards' profile to suggest a breakout is coming. Combine that with his injury history and you can leave him for NL-only formats. Read Past Outlooks
RANKS
#599
ADP
$Signed a one-year, $2.25 million contract with the Nationals in January of 2023.
Might be ninth-inning option
PWashington Nationals
March 15, 2023
Edwards could see save chances if Kyle Finnegan gets shifted into a fireman role rather than being used as a traditional closer, Bobby Blanco of MASN reports.
ANALYSIS
Finnegan still seems likely to see the majority of save chances for the Nationals this season, but there could be saves up for grabs if the right-hander gets the call earlier in games in tight situations. Edwards would be just one of many candidates who could benefit, with Hunter Harvey, Alex Colome, Sean Doolittle (elbow) and Mason Thompson also in the mix depending on matchups and performance. Edwards' reduced velocity was a concern early in camp, but he hasn't allowed an earned run in his last two Grapefruit League appearances while posting a 3:0 K:BB. The 31-year-old had a solid 2022 campaign in a setup role for the Nats, recording double-digit holds for the first time since 2018.
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Pitching Stats
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2022
2021
2020
2019
2018
2017
2022 MLB Game Log
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2021 MLB Game Log
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2020 MLB Game Log
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2019 MLB Game Log
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2018 MLB Game Log
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2017 MLB Game Log
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Pitching Appearances Breakdown
Average Pitch Count
18
Last 10 Games
16
Last 5 Games
20
How many pitches does Carl Edwards generally throw?
 
1-10
 
11-20
 
21-30
 
31-40
 
41-50
 
51-60
 
61-70
 
71-80
 
81-90
 
91-100
 
101-110
 
111-120
 
121+
 
1-10
 
11-20
 
21-30
 
31-40
 
41-50
 
51-60
 
61-70
 
71-80
 
81-90
 
91-100
 
101-110
 
111-120
 
121+
 
1-10
 
11-20
 
21-30
 
31-40
 
41-50
 
51-60
 
61-70
 
71-80
 
81-90
 
91-100
 
101-110
 
111-120
 
121+
What part of the game does Carl Edwards generally pitch?
 
 
 
1st
 
 
 
2nd
 
 
 
3rd
 
 
 
4th
 
 
 
5th
 
 
 
6th
 
 
 
7th
 
 
 
8th
 
 
 
9th
 
Extra
 
 
 
1st
 
 
 
2nd
 
 
 
3rd
 
 
 
4th
 
 
 
5th
 
 
 
6th
 
 
 
7th
 
 
 
8th
 
 
 
9th
 
Extra
 
 
 
1st
 
 
 
2nd
 
 
 
3rd
 
 
 
4th
 
 
 
5th
 
 
 
6th
 
 
 
7th
 
 
 
8th
 
 
 
9th
 
Extra
% Games Reaching Innings Threshold
% Games By Number of Innings Pitched
Left/Right Pitching Splits
Since 2020
 
 
-15%
BAA vs RHP
2022
 
 
-14%
BAA vs RHP
2021
 
 
-12%
BAA vs RHP
2020
 
 
-77%
BAA vs RHP
BAA Batters K BB H 2B 3B HR
Since 2020vs Left .258 135 24 15 31 2 2 2
Since 2020vs Right .219 169 44 14 33 5 0 9
2022vs Left .241 121 22 13 26 1 0 2
2022vs Right .208 135 34 12 25 4 0 6
2021vs Left .444 10 1 1 4 1 1 0
2021vs Right .389 21 5 2 7 0 0 3
2020vs Left .333 4 1 1 1 0 1 0
2020vs Right .077 13 5 0 1 1 0 0
More Splits View More Split Stats
Home/Away Pitching Splits
Since 2020
 
 
-41%
ERA on Road
2022
 
 
-58%
ERA on Road
2021
 
 
-27%
ERA at Home
2020
 
 
-100%
ERA at Home
ERA WHIP IP W L SV K/9 BB/9 HR/9
Since 2020Home 4.15 1.33 39.0 3 3 2 8.8 2.5 1.4
Since 2020Away 2.43 1.23 33.1 3 0 1 8.1 4.9 1.4
2022Home 3.78 1.26 33.1 3 3 1 8.6 2.2 1.1
2022Away 1.57 1.19 28.2 3 0 1 7.5 5.3 1.3
2021Home 9.82 2.73 3.2 0 0 0 7.4 7.4 4.9
2021Away 13.50 2.00 2.0 0 0 0 13.5 0.0 4.5
2020Home 0.00 0.00 2.0 0 0 1 13.5 0.0 0.0
2020Away 3.38 1.13 2.2 0 0 0 10.1 3.4 0.0
More Splits View More Split Stats
Stat Review
How does Carl Edwards compare to other relievers?
This section compares his stats with all relief pitcher seasons from the previous three seasons (minimum 30 innings)*. The bar represents the player's percentile rank. For example, if the bar is halfway across, then the player falls into the 50th percentile for that stat and it would be considered average.

* Exit Velocity, Barrels/BBE %, Balls Hit 95+ MPH %, and Spin Rate are benchmarked against 2019 data (min 30 IP). See here for more exit velocity/barrels stats plus an explanation of current limitations with that data set.
  • K/BB
    Strikeout to walk ratio.
  • K/9
    Average strikeouts per nine innings.
  • BB/9
    Average walks per nine innings.
  • HR/9
    Average home runs allowed per nine innings.
  • Fastball
    Average fastball velocity.
  • ERA
    Earned run average. The average earned runs allowed per nine innings.
  • WHIP
    Walks plus hits per inning pitched.
  • BABIP
    Batting average on balls in play. Measures how many balls in play against a pitcher go for hits.
  • GB/FB
    Groundball to flyball ratio. The higher the number, the more likely a pitcher is to induce groundballs.
  • Left On Base
    The percentage of base runners that a pitcher strands on base over the course of a season.
  • Exit Velocity
    The speed of the baseball as it comes off the bat, immediately after a batter makes contact.
  • Barrels/BBE
    The percentage of batted ball events resulting in a Barrel. A Barrel is a batted ball with similar exit velocity and launch angle to past ones that led to a minimum .500 batting average and 1.500 slugging percentage.
  • Spin Rate
    Spin Rate is the rate of spin on a baseball after it is released. It is measured in revolutions per minute (rpm).
  • Balls Hit 95+ MPH
    The percentage of batted balls hit that met or exceeded the 95 MPH threshold.
  • Swinging Strike
    The percentage of pitches that result in a swing and a miss.
K/BB
2.24
 
K/9
8.1
 
BB/9
3.6
 
HR/9
1.2
 
Fastball
94.7 mph
 
ERA
2.76
 
WHIP
1.23
 
BABIP
.266
 
GB/FB
1.53
 
Left On Base
83.3%
 
Exit Velocity
80.5 mph
 
Barrels/BBE
2.5%
 
Spin Rate
2371 rpm
 
Balls Hit 95+ MPH
20.2%
 
Swinging Strike
10.9%
 
Advanced Pitching Stats
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Defensive Stats
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Stats Vs Today's Lineup
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Past Fantasy Outlooks
2021
2020
2019
2018
2017
2016
2015
2014
Edwards faces an uncertain future. We're talking about a pitcher who has yet to turn 30 years old and has struck out one-third of the hitters he has faced throughout his career. Overall, he's posted a 19.2 K-BB% while holding hitters to a .154 average. Yet, he has pitched all of 21.2 innings over the past two seasons and is a free agent at press time as he refused his outright assignment to Triple-A after the season. Walks have been an issue for the righty, but the excessive strikeout totals have helped offset that and the career 1.10 WHIP backs that up. His 2020 season was ended with a right forearm strain in early August, but to date, there has not been a need for surgery. He is all fastball and curveball, and 2018 was the only season the league hit over .200 off the heater. If he could ever find consistent command, he gets interesting in a hurry.
Edwards endured an awful 2019 campaign, stumbling to an 8.47 ERA in just 17 big-league innings after recording ERAs below 3.00 in each of the two prior years. The trouble started right away. He worked on a new delivery during spring training which was promptly ruled illegal. He clearly struggled to adjust on the fly, getting demoted after allowing six runs while recording just five outs over his first four appearances of the season. He looked good for a stretch in the middle of the year, posting a 2.63 ERA and a 0.66 WHIP over 13.2 innings before being dealt to San Diego at the deadline. He made a pair of disastrous appearances for the Padres before being shut down with a shoulder strain, his third trip to the injured list of the season after previously battling back and hand issues. It's possible Edwards' year was merely a blip and he returns to high-leverage form this season, but the risks are high.
Edwards hasn't posted a swinging-strike rate lower than 14.4% in the past three years, and he's improved his first-strike percentage in each of the past two, capping at 60.4% in 2018. Even so, his K-BB% has swiftly dropped in each of the past two years as he's topped 5.1 BB/9 in each. Talk about effectively wild. Edwards missed over a month of action with shoulder inflammation. After returning July 6, he walked 6.7 per nine in 27 innings to close out the season -- perhaps he was still affected physically -- and he quickly fell behind Pedro Strop for save chances with Brandon Morrow sidelined for nearly all of the second half. A forearm issue kept Edwards off the Cubs' postseason roster, so watch his availability for spring training. A healthy Edwards' whiffs could play in many deep fantasy leagues, especially NL-only.
Edwards was heavily used in his first full season as a member of the Cubs' bullpen, making a team-high 73 appearances while working as a key piece of the bridge to closer Wade Davis. He was effective against hitters on both sides of the plate despite a 14.5 percent walk rate (5.2 BB/9), as he parlayed his ability to miss a lot of bats (12.8 K/9) and to induce weak contact (24.0 percent hard-hit rate) to excellent results. Edwards has been very effective while featuring a two-pitch arsenal since joining the big club for good in 2016, pairing a mid-90s fastball with a devastating curveball. He appears likely to remain in a setup role with Brandon Morrow signing with the Cubs in the offseason, but Edwards should still offer value in deeper formats as a high-leverage reliever with plenty of strikeouts and good ratios.
The second year of Edwards' tenure in the bullpen was a success as he pushed his strikeout rate to a career-high 37.7 percent while issuing walks at his lowest rate (10.1 percentage) since his 2013 stint at High-A. Armed with a high-90s fastball and steady curveball, Edwards has the arsenal necessary to become a shut-down option at the back of the bullpen. Not surprisingly, his elevated strikeout rate was supported by a 17.8 percent swinging-strike rate -- the sixth-highest mark among relievers with 30 or more innings pitched -- and his 2.87 FIP was nearly a full run below his ERA. Even if he's not positioned to handle save situations regularly for the Cubs with Wade Davis in town, Edwards may emerge to have value in deeper formats where setup men are utilized as he's earning the trust of manager Joe Maddon while showing the ability to handle hitters from both side of the plate (LHH posted a .191 wOBA against him, RHH posted a .210 mark).
A 49th-round draft pick by the Rangers in 2011, Edwards rose through the ranks of the Cubs' system after he was acquired in 2013 to become arguably the organization's top pitching prospect. A shoulder strain cost him significant development time in 2014, and unfortunately he was converted to a reliever last year, with mixed results. In 55.1 innings in the minors in 2015, he struck out 75 and allowed just 26 hits — including only one home run. Unfortunately, he also walked 41, leading to a 1.21 WHIP, which is a bit high for a pitcher with a minuscule .139 BAA. The Cubs did give him a late-season run, and would probably like to see more of him this year, but until he gets the walks down he'll struggle against MLB hitters. Still, this is a special skill set, so the skinny right-hander could find himself closing someday.
Edwards, the Cubs' top pitching prospect, appears to have the 6-foot-3, 170-pound frame that he's credited with. He's very skinny, and most of that frame comes from Edwards' long legs. If he were graded purely off of stuff and production to this point in his career, Edwards would likely be much higher on prospect lists. Walks have been an occasional issue for Edwards, as he's issued 73 free passes in 182 innings, but he's offset that with 220 strikeouts and just two home runs allowed as a professional. It's also worth noting that Edwards has been excellent against Top 20 prospects, carrying a 26.1% K% and allowing a .188 average against them over the past two seasons. Durability is the primary concern with Edwards, especially after a right shoulder strain cost him nearly four months to begin the 2014 season. He'll likely return to Double-A to start 2015, with the hope of pushing his way to the big leagues before season's end, but a strict innings cap seems likely.
A 49th-round pick in 2011, Edwards has more than exceeded expectations in the minors, and is probably the best piece (not Mike Olt) acquired in the Matt Garza trade. He's been unhittable in the minors, even when he was promoted to High-A Daytona after the deal. His strikeout rate has been above 11.0 K/9 at every stop so far (with respectable walk rates to boot). The 6-foot-2 right-hander might only need one more year in the minors before he's starting games at Wrigley Field. He looks like a gem.
More Fantasy News
Concerns about velocity
PWashington Nationals
March 3, 2023
Nationals manager Dave Martinez expressed concern Friday about Edwards' dip in velocity, Andrew Golden of the Washington Post reports.
ANALYSIS
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Avoids arbitration
PWashington Nationals
January 13, 2023
Edwards signed a one-year, $2.25 million contract with the Nationals on Friday to avoid arbitration, Andrew Golden of The Washington Post reports.
ANALYSIS
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Pockets sixth win
PWashington Nationals
September 17, 2022
Edwards (6-3) picked up the win in Friday's 5-4 victory over the Marlins, giving up three hits and striking out one in a scoreless eighth inning.
ANALYSIS
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Nabs win against former club
PWashington Nationals
August 16, 2022
Edwards (4-3) earned the win in Monday's 5-4 victory over the Cubs, striking out two in a perfect eighth inning.
ANALYSIS
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Secures second save
PWashington Nationals
August 14, 2022
Edwards notched a save against the Padres on Saturday, allowing one hit and striking out one batter in a scoreless ninth inning.
ANALYSIS
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