WASHINGTON — Xavier Edwards swiped second base Friday night and made the Miami Marlins the first Major League club this season to have four players steal 20 bases, a milestone the franchise has reached only once before — in 2002.
All-Star Otto Lopez and utility outfielder Esteury Ruiz lead the charge with 29 swipes each. Edwards reached the 20 plateau for the third time in his career, and Jakob Marsee stole his 20th bag earlier this week in his first full MLB season. The Marlins rank second in the Majors with 141 steals on 183 attempts, trailing only the Nationals.
“[First-base coach] Craig Driver deserves a lot of credit, as well as the players,” manager Clayton McCullough said. “This is something in Spring Training, we put a lot of work in the mornings in preparation for this season, that we were going to weaponize this, and not only have guys that from a speed standpoint that can do this, but also from a technical standpoint.”
Miami entered Saturday four games behind the Padres for the final NL Wild Card spot, with the D-backs also three and a half games ahead of the Marlins. McCullough sees the running game as a potential postseason weapon if the club can close the gap. “You get to October, and the margins become even smaller than they are in the regular season,” McCullough said. “I want our guys to feel that that’s something that we’ve been relying on during the regular season. And that shouldn’t change when the stakes are higher.”
Ruiz, who swiped an MLB-best 67 bags in his only full season as a regular starter with the Athletics in 2023, has slashed .236/.361/.422 in 196 plate appearances this year — production that has kept him in the lineup beyond his legs alone. “I consider myself elite in the mental side of base stealing,” Ruiz said through an interpreter. “It’s not just being able to run really fast; it’s understanding the situation and when to go.”
Lopez, Ruiz and Edwards are all averaging an 80% or better success rate. Marsee had a rough 4-for-11 stretch in May and has been less active since as opposing pitchers adjusted, but he remains a threat when given the opportunity. “Four guys doing it and potentially more is pretty crazy to see,” Marsee said. “It’s fun to be a part of because we know a lot of guys can make an impact on the bases.”
The Marlins have two games remaining in their four-game series in Washington before returning to Miami, where the club will continue its push toward the final Wild Card berth.