Tommy Edman hit five home runs in the first nine games of the 2025 season. He hit three of them while batting from the left side.
Throughout the switch hitter’s career, his results at the plate are significantly better when he is batting right-handed compared to left-handed.
But with the help of the Dodgers’ hitting coaches, Edman has improved his left-handed batting. Now, he is showing a more consistent swing from both sides in 2025.
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The Dodgers hitting coaches focused on keeping Edman standing upright rather than dropping his back shoulder in the offseason.
“When I’m taller,” Edman said to the Athletic, “I can have more of a direct path to the pitcher and also with more power behind it as well.”
Dodgers hitting coach Robert Van Scoyoc said Edman tended to force his swing “uphill”. However, he believed if the coaching staff could alter Edman’s swing to look more like the rest of the Dodgers, there would be improvement.
“We felt like there was a lot, watching him play for years, of things we could do to help him improve,” Van Scoyoc said.
“You see a lot of the natural components, the way his hands work, the innate skill set,” Van Scoyoc added. “All that, you put it together, make a few adjustments and knowing what we know about the swing and how it works — like man, if he looked more like (our) guys with what he does, then he’d be better. That’s kind of how it’s played out.”
In addition to his five home runs this season, Edman is slashing .259/.293/.575 with an .867 OPS and 11 RBIs.
The 2024 National League Championship Series Most Valuable Player was a major contributor to the Dodgers’ World Series victory. And based on his performance through the first few weeks of the season, Edman remains a key piece to the Dodgers’ puzzle.
Photo Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images
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