The skill that makes Edman All-Star worthy

If you look at the Wins Above Replacement leaderboards for 2022, one thing that jumps out is the three Cardinals close to the top: Paul Goldschmidt and Nolan Arenado, two perennial MVP contenders … and Tommy Edman.

How did Edman get up there? It's not because he's an elite hitter like Goldschmidt and Arenado. It's because he does a little bit of everything: he hits, he fields, and -- the real key for him and the Cardinals offense -- he runs.

Edman is the best baserunner in the Majors this season. His baserunning value, +6.4 runs above average per FanGraphs, leads MLB by a wide margin. That adds a big boost to his overall value as a player, and his value to St. Louis, especially as the leadoff hitter in a lineup with Goldschmidt and Arenado behind him. It's also a big reason why he's a worthy All-Star candidate this year.

Highest baserunning value, 2022
1. Tommy Edman: +6.4 runs
2. Marcus Semien: +4.9 runs
3. Christian Yelich: +4.4 runs
4. Myles Straw: +4.3 runs
5. (tie) Harrison Bader: +4.2 runs
5. (tie) Eli White: +4.2 runs

That run value includes everything Edman does on the bases -- stealing, taking the extra base, not getting thrown out, etc. But let's take a closer look.

Here's what makes Edman such a good baserunner, and how he impacts the game, with help from Statcast's FieldVision 3D tracking technology.

He uses his speed

Edman is fast. That's naturally the foundation for everything.

His average sprint speed this season is 28.7 ft/sec, well above the Major League average of 27 ft/sec and in the top 15% of runners. He's reached Statcast's elite speed threshold of 30-plus ft/sec on seven different runs.

What really matters, though, is that Edman turns that speed into things like stolen bases and infield hits.

He's beaten out eight singles this season with upper-tier sprint speeds of 29 ft/sec or faster, including one over 30 -- this one against the Brewers on May 29, when he reached 30.1 ft/sec.

And he steals efficiently -- he has 19 stolen bases and only three caught stealings, a success rate over 86%.

That's a combination of his speed and jumps. Edman's average secondary lead on his stolen base attempts of second is 22.8 feet, a full foot larger than the league average (21.8 feet). On his successful steals, it's 23.3 feet, also about a foot better than the average lead on successful steals of second (22.4 feet).

Here he is stealing second against the Marlins in the bottom of the fifth inning on June 27, at a 28.9 ft/sec sprint speed, beating out a fast 1.95-second pop time from catcher Jacob Stallings (MLB average is 2.00 seconds).

He takes the extra base

Edman takes advantage of his speed with aggressive baserunning once he gets on.

He takes the extra base two thirds of the time -- that means taking more than one base on a single, or more than two bases on a double -- one of the highest rates in the Majors among qualified baserunners.

Highest Extra Base Taken %, 2022
1. Elvis Andrus: 81%
2. (tie) Adolís García: 72%
2. (tie) Seth Brown: 72%
4. Harrison Bader: 69%
5. (tie) Tommy Edman: 67%
5. (tie) Jurickson Profar: 67%

Here he is scoring from first on a double into the right-field corner by Nolan Gorman, diving in just ahead of a great relay throw by Brewers second baseman Mark Mathias. Edman reached a sprint speed of 29.1 ft/sec on the play.

He jumps on opportunities to advance

It's not just aggressive running on base hits, though. Edman is just as opportunistic at going station to station whenever he can -- on sacrifice flies, wild pitches, passed balls and so on.

Edman leads the Majors in "bases taken," referring to those other chances to move up a base. He's done that 18 times this year.

Most Bases Taken, 2022
1. Tommy Edman: 18
2. Willson Contreras: 16
3. (tie) Austin Hays: 15
3. (tie) Tommy Pham: 15
3. (tie) Corey Seager: 15
3. (tie) Marcus Semien: 15

Here's one of his most aggressive sac flies. On a 209-foot fly ball by Nolan Arenado down the right-field line on May 22, Edman tested Pirates right fielder Diego Castillo's arm, getting up to a 28.2 ft/sec sprint speed and dancing around the tag to score.

When he gets on, he scores

Edman is one of the best at generating runs for his team. When he gets on base, he scores nearly half the time. He's second-best in the Majors at that, just behind Straw.

Highest run scoring % once on base, 2022
1. Myles Straw: 47%
2. (tie) Tommy Edman: 46%
2. (tie) Isiah Kiner-Falefa: 46%
4. Mookie Betts: 45%
5. Thairo Estrada: 44%

That number shows you how the Cardinals offense works when Edman is at the top of the order. A top baserunning threat is all the more valuable when top hitters like Goldschmidt and Arenado are following.

Edman makes it that much easier for Goldschmidt, Arenado and the rest of the Cardinals' big bats to drive him in. He can use his wheels and aggressiveness to score on hits from the middle-of-the-order sluggers, or manufacture runs via small ball when necessary.

One example of that run creation: in the sixth inning against the Reds on June 11, Edman beat out an infield single with a near-elite 29.8 ft/sec sprint speed. After moving to second on a hit-by-pitch, he took third on a wild pitch, then scored on Tyler O'Neill's long sac fly, St. Louis' only run that inning.

Edman has also taken all those extra bases while running into zero outs on the bases (as in, during a ball in play, not base-stealing). All those bases taken, with no cost in outs, add up to extra runs for the Cardinals. That's why Edman is such a valuable player.